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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27688088">Deja Vu \\ Jamais Vu</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/RogueLioness/pseuds/RogueLioness'>RogueLioness</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Chasing the Light [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect Trilogy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Angst, Canon Temporary Character Death, Explicit Language, F/M, Fix-It of Sorts, Modern Girl in Mass Effect, Not Canon Compliant, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Burn, Tags May Change, Time Travel, all the headcanons</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-05-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-07 02:02:31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>30,087</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27688088</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/RogueLioness/pseuds/RogueLioness</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Amy Davis leads an uneventful, unremarkable life as a software engineer for NASA - until the inexplicable happens and she finds herself in 2183, right in the middle of a group of familiar - yet incredibly unfamiliar - faces. </p><p>Now she finds herself having to navigate a time that isn’t hers while trying to juggle all that she knows is yet to come, without drawing the wrong kind of attention.</p><p>She's seen this world - but never like this. Will she be able to survive?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Secondary Female Shepard/Garrus Vakarian, Thane Krios/Original Character(s), Thane Krios/Original Female Character(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Chasing the Light [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2024758</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>115</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>85</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“It’s not fair,” Amy breathed out, tears streaking down her face. She set her controller aside, watching the credits roll down the screen. No matter how many times she played, no matter how familiar she was with the events, she always cried at the end of the trilogy. It left her feeling hollow, felt like she was saying goodbye to characters that were family - especially when her life was lacking so gravely in that aspect.</p>
<p>Her phone pinged, and she had to dig into the couch cushions for several seconds before she found it. Unlocking it, she smiled unconsciously as she read the message.</p>
<p>
  <em>Done with ME3 yet?</em>
</p>
<p>She quickly typed out a reply. <em> Yeah. I don’t know why I like to torture myself like this. </em></p>
<p><em>Because you’re a masochist. This is what, your millionth playthrough? </em>Sarah’s response was instantaneous and filled with her trademark snark.</p>
<p>
  <em>Hey, don’t judge me. </em>
  <em><br/>
</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em> Thinking of starting another one, aren’t you? </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em> ….maybe :P </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em> You really should buy stock in Kleenex and bottled water before you do. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em> That’s not a bad idea, lol. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em> I don’t know how you can play without getting mad, I was just so mad at the end. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em> I do get mad! I AM mad!! It’s not fair! Like, Shepard and crew watch out for the galaxy, but who’s watching out for them? </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em> Point. Still, they kinda expect that, right? They’re all used to it, they’re soldiers, they know what’s at stake. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em> Maybe so, but it’s not right that they pay the price for everyone else’s stupidity. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em> True. But hey, not like either of us can do anything about it given that it’s, y’know… FICTIONAL. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em> Yeah. My BFFs are all fictional, and they might all be dead. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em> HEY NOW that was a low blow. I thought I was your BFF? Besides, I thought you had a thing for dat alien booty ;) can’t be friends if you want that ass :P </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em> FICTIONAL alien booty :P </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em> Pssssh. Like you wouldn’t tap some alien ass if you could get some :P </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em> I mean, have you seen that turian and drell ass?  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em> I’m all for the asari, thank you very much. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em> LOL I have no idea what’s so attractive about Liara. Anyway, we still on for lunch Friday? </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em> Shut yo mouth about my babe! I’ll see you Friday.</em>
</p>
<p>Amy was about to put her phone down before it pinged again.</p>
<p>
  <em>Don’t start another playthrough. I mean it!</em>
</p>
<p>She laughed softly as she let it drop onto the couch, then grabbed the controller again. Using the joystick to flip through her options, she sighed in mock-defeat before clicking on the <em> Mass Effect </em>icon on the screen.</p>
<p><em> Oh well, </em> she told herself, <em> here we go again </em>…</p>
<p>It felt like she was on the Normandy again, watching Nihlus and Joker on-screen. A pang shot through her as Anderson, Shepard, and Nihlus discussed Eden Prime.</p>
<p><em> Not fair</em>, she thought to herself shifting to a more comfortable position on her old couch. It creaked quietly beneath her weight. <em> Nihlus didn’t deserve to die that way, betrayed by a man he thought was a friend. He deserved better. They all do. </em></p>
<p>She yawned, shooting her way through the geth, only half-paying attention to what Ashley Williams was saying. Her mind was already on who to sacrifice this playthrough.</p>
<p><em> It never gets easier</em>, she grimaced. As much as she liked Kaidan, she also admired Ashley. <em> If only there was a way to save them both.  </em></p>
<p>The geth - and husks - had been a surprise during her very first playthrough, but after encountering them countless times during the subsequent games they’d become pretty mundane. Amy made her way to the spaceport where Nihlus was to be waiting, wincing slightly as the game entered the familiar cutscene, willing it to be over quickly. </p>
<p>Everything on the screen looked slightly off. More clearer than the graphics should allow. She was able to make out more details- She frowned. Was that the beacon in the background? She squinted, moving closer to the screen. Yeah, it <em>was </em>the beacon! And it was glowing! <em> What the hell??!! </em> That had never happened before…</p>
<p>“Weird glitch,” she muttered, using her knuckle to tap on the screen-</p>
<p>And screamed as an electric shockwave roared through her body, igniting every last nerve ending in a sensation that she could only compare to brain freeze.</p>
<p>How long it lasted for, she didn’t know, just that when it was over, she was on her hands and knees, and she had no energy left to scream. She raised her head, disoriented by the strange surroundings - metal platform, metal structures surrounded by a red rock landscape, the presence of smoke that didn’t quite smell like smoke, and-</p>
<p>Nihlus, about to turn his back on Saren.</p>
<p>Amy didn’t think. She didn’t have the brain capacity <em>to </em>think at the moment. Acting out of an instinct long-forged in humans - that of compassion, of selfless courage, she sprinted her way towards Saren.</p>
<p>“Nihlus, watch out!” she screamed, her voice hoarse and raspy.</p>
<p>Of course, her five-foot-six, one-hundred-and-fifty-pound frame was clearly no match for a six-foot-plus tall <em>turian</em>, but her sudden appearance and high-pitched warning had caught Saren by surprise. When she launched herself at him, he shook her off as though she were little more than a pesky fly. Amy yelped as her head hit a rather sharp corner of - what it was she had no idea because a moment later she was shrieking out in agony again, clutching the left side of her torso that was burning with something she was sure had been dug out of the ninth circle of hell itself.</p>
<p>Something cold slid under her chin, lifting it up from where it drooped weakly against her chest. She found herself shivering as her eyes met the icy blue ones of Saren, filled with such rage it caused her heart to skitter like a panicked horse. She couldn’t seem to breathe; the air had frozen in her lungs. All she could do was stare at the very alien, very real creature looming over her.</p>
<p>“Who are you?” he questioned harshly. </p>
<p>She opened her mouth to answer, she had no thoughts about lying. This close to an alien - and not just an alien, but a turian, an <em>apex predator species </em> - her mind had given up and all but fallen into a primal state of fear, and she would’ve told him anything he wanted to know had she sufficient energy. The lack of strength, the sudden, unexpected events that had just taken place, combined with the very alarming, rapid blood loss she was suffering, meant that she had nothing to offer him.</p>
<p>She blinked at Saren, slowly, once, twice, each time harder than the previous attempt, then opened her mouth to say something - but coughed up blood instead, droplets of red-tinged spittle landing on his gloves.</p>
<p>He hissed in disgusted annoyance, giving her a close-up view of every one of his razor-sharp teeth, making Amy tremble even harder with fear. “I’d put a bullet in you, but that would just be a waste of a good bullet. Besides, I rather like the thought of you dying painfully.” She stared up at his profile as he scanned the surrounding area, breath catching in her lungs when he caught her gaze again. “You’ve cost me dearly, <em> human</em>,” he all but spat at her. “Now I have another loose end to take care of.” He angled his gun towards her again and she winced, turning her head away, trying to protect herself as best as she could - which wasn’t much, considering her injured state.</p>
<p>The sounds of gunfire from the top of the slope caught his attention. Amy followed his gaze, numbly watching the clearly armed figures rapidly make their way towards her and Saren. Her breath was coming out in rapid little pants, each of which seemed to worsen the pain she was in.  “Shit,” he swore. “Reinforcements.” Saren paced up and down for several seconds. She watched him with wide eyes, not daring so much as to breathe the wrong way, fearful that he was going to kill her each time he looked in her direction. Something about her seemed to satisfy him, however, for he sheathed his weapon before turning around abruptly on his heel and making his way further down the metal platform, barking out orders she didn’t understand as he did.</p>
<p>And then, she was alone.</p>
<p>The burning… wasn’t as bad as before. Her hand was pressed as tightly as she could manage on the wound, trying to stem the blood loss as best as she could, but she didn’t dare examine the injury more closely. Her hands were stained red, with blood slowly seeping through the gaps in her fingers. Her t-shirt was mostly soaked in the stuff, and there was a pool of it near her hip. She didn’t have to be a doctor to know her chances of making it out of this place alive without some serious help was slim. Her extremities were beginning to grow cold, which she knew was a bad sign but couldn’t remember exactly why.</p>
<p>She leaned her head back against the crate she’d propped herself up against, and shut her eyes, waiting to die. Or wake up, since this was clearly some kind of twisted dream and she’d been playing the game way too much.</p>
<p>
  <em> I should’ve listened to Sarah- </em>
</p>
<p>There was a small movement to her side. Amy struggled to open her eyes, only to find another turian kneeling next to her. In her pain-addled state, she didn’t realize it was Nihlus and began to hyperventilate.</p>
<p>“Shhh,” he tried to calm her down, and she thought she’d lost her mind because there was- there was something <em>else </em>in his voice, some kind of strange, underlying echo of sorts. She’d heard it in Saren’s voice too, but had ignored it. But hearing it again - it made her think she was going crazy, and in that fear, she tried to twist away from him. </p>
<p>“I’m not going to hurt you,” he held his hands up in surrender. “But I can’t help unless I examine you.”</p>
<p>She watched him, observed the way he kept his hands in view, and she could see they were empty. His green eyes weren’t malicious, and she thought she heard him make some kind of gentle purring sound, the sort one would make to calm down a spooked animal. It was reassuring, though, and she nodded, then watched mutely as he pulled her hand away from the wound, lifting her t-shirt with a gentleness she hadn’t thought possible from any creature with <em>claws </em>as big and sharp as that. He typed into the instrument attached to his forearm and a few seconds later it spat out a small capsule. Ripping into it with laughable ease, he applied its contents - a clear gel - to her wound. To Amy’s surprise, the gel formed an almost skin-like layer over the injury, and several seconds later her pain level had significantly reduced.</p>
<p>“Thanks,” she croaked, and he nodded in reply, his emerald gaze keeping her pierced to the spot.</p>
<p>“Now, who are you, and how do you know my name?”</p>
<p>The sudden arrival of Commander Shepard - <em>the</em> Commander Shepard! - and her team drew his attention away from her. Which was a good thing, because her mind was clearly breaking. Something was wrong. Something was very wrong. If this was a dream, why the <em>fuck</em> had she felt <em>actual</em> pain from a bullet wound? And why could she <em>see</em> things so clearly, even in the horizon… to confirm her theory she looked up, and yep, there it was, sure enough, <em>a fucking</em> <em>reaper ship in the fucking sky</em>, trails of malevolently red lightning radiating from it.</p>
<p>
  <em> Sovereign. </em>
</p>
<p>She started laughing hysterically, a hand pressed to her forehead, covering the side of her face in her blood and making her look even more crazed than she was. “Oh fuck. Oh fuck. <em> Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck</em>. This isn’t real, this can’t be real… I’m just dreaming, this is just a really bad dream...” The ship in the sky shuddered, causing everyone to look at it with concern - but to her, it felt like someone was scraping out the inside of her skull with a rusty spoon. Amy shrieked and fell to her side, gasping for breath.</p>
<p>“What’s going on, Nihlus?” Shepard asked, brows knitted into a frown.</p>
<p>“I don’t know,” Amy felt his gaze on her, “Saren’s here. He’s another Spectre...and he just tried to kill me. She saved my life. She… she knew what he was going to do, I think. And she knows my name.”</p>
<p>Amy tried to sit up again, a process that was infinitely harder than it should have been if this were all a dream. Nihlus was there by her side to help her up, and he gently had her resting against the hard metallic crate. Shepard, Kaidan, and Ashley were staring down at her with varying levels of concern and suspicion. She tried to reach out for them, to touch them so she could tell whether they were real or not, but her hand refused to respond. The world began to spin around her, dizziness setting in rapidly despite her attempting to blink away the light-headedness. Something told her this wouldn’t be the last time she was going to see any of them. What mattered at the moment was that Shepard was in the middle of a fight and that Saren was on his way to escaping with the beacon, and that couldn’t be allowed - there was no time, they had to keep moving, they had to stop Saren-they were running out of time, she had to help, she needed to-</p>
<p>“I’ll tell you everything else later,” she rasped. “Just know that Saren is responsible for the attack here. He wants the beacon, and he will destroy the colony to cover his tracks. The geth he has with him are likely planting bombs as we speak…. You have to stop him,” she trailed off, losing the fight to keep her eyes open. “Don’t let him take the beacon…” she passed out.</p>
<p>The group gathered around her were silent for several moments, staring down at the limp figure on the ground. “Well,” Shepard spoke at last, “what do you think, Nihlus?”</p>
<p>He rose to his feet in a fluid motion. “Normally I’d think she’d lost her mind,” he stated crisply. “But that was before Saren pulled a gun on me. So I’d say… there’s a fair chance she’s telling the truth.”</p>
<p>“We have to stop him from getting to the beacon,” Shepard declared, then paused. “What about your friend here?”</p>
<p>“Get her back to the Normandy,” Nihlus ordered. ‘I suspect she’s got a lot more she hasn’t had the chance to tell us yet.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Shepard woke up to bright, <em> really </em> bright white lights right in her face. Her head rang unpleasantly, and hazy, sinister shadows swirled sluggishly through her brain. She fought against the siren’s call of sleep; the lure of returning to that blissful quiet was very strong, but it was something she’d gotten used to right from the early days of Alliance boot camp. There was noise around her, electronic beeping, the muted dialogue of some program running in the background, the quiet but constant hum of the drive core. She thought she heard Kaiden’s voice - hadn’t he been in trouble? Groaning, she raised her hand to shield herself from the glare, moving to sit up. The sound of footsteps grew louder, and she found Dr. Chakwas standing in front of her, concern on the medic’s face.</p>
<p>“You had us worried there, Shepard.” The Normandy’s doctor looked calm, but her furrowed brow gave away her concern. “How are you feeling?”</p>
<p>The question brought her attention to how much her body was aching. She’d been on missions before, had gotten used to stinging muscles, but this time she just felt tired and sore. And her head! It felt like it was going to explode any minute now. She glanced at Chakwas, who was patiently waiting for her response. “Like two thousand elcors are tap dancing in my head,” Jane groaned as she stretched her neck from side to side. Better to leave out the other details. The last thing she wanted - or needed - was to be forced into bed rest. “No big deal. How long was I out?”</p>
<p>“About fifteen hours. Something happened with the beacon down there, I think. What do you remember?”</p>
<p>She frowned. “We secured the beacon, but it was- glowing? It felt like it was pulsing with this strange energy… definitely had some kind of defensive field around it, that’s for sure. It caught Kaidan when he moved too close to it. I managed to get him out of the way, but it pulled me in.”</p>
<p>“Probably some kind of alarm,” she turned to see Kaidan leaning against a desk, his arms crossed, a look of guilt creasing his features. “I must’ve triggered it when I moved closer to it.”</p>
<p>She rolled her shoulders. They were stiff, even more than they usually were after combat. “We had no way of knowing what would happen. Not your fault, Alenko.”</p>
<p>Dr. Chakwas stepped closer, tilting Shepard’s head this way then that, using the slim handheld torch to examine her pupillary reflex. Seemingly satisfied, she stepped away, picking up her datapad and noting something down. “Actually,” she exhaled softly, “we don’t know what exactly set it off. And it’s quite unfortunate we’ll never get the chance to find out.”</p>
<p>“What do you mean? What happened to the beacon?” She looked at Chakwas, who said nothing, then at Kaidan, who couldn’t seem to meet her gaze. “Kaidan?” she narrowed her eyes. “Is there something I should know?”</p>
<p>Kaidan cleared his throat. “It, uhh, it exploded. We think it was some kind of system overload? The blast knocked you out cold-”</p>
<p>“It <em> exploded? </em>” He nodded. There was guilt in the set of his shoulders, and Jane couldn’t bring herself to reprimand his carelessness. Eden Prime had been a shitshow none of them had foreseen, the beacon’s activation being the last thing anyone could’ve expected. She took in a deep breath, then exhaled slowly. “There’s nothing that can be salvaged? Nothing?”</p>
<p>Her staff lieutenant shifted from one foot to the other, his tone giving away his discomfort. “We brought what was left aboard, Commander, but it just looks like a hunk of metal.”</p>
<p>She threw her head back and groaned in dismay. “God fucking dammit.” The Council was going to be pissed, and so would that human ambassador whatshisname. It wasn’t their fault, though! She had another thought. “What happened to Agent Kyrik? And the girl?”</p>
<p>“He knocked his head pretty bad in that explosion, but he should recover in a couple of days. The girl, however-” Chakwas trailed off.</p>
<p>“What’s the matter with her?” </p>
<p>“Well, for one, I can’t find a record of her anywhere. It’s like she doesn’t exist. Which wouldn’t usually be of concern, lord knows there are enough undocumented folks around in the Traverse, but that leads to my second issue - I ran a panel on her blood, and - you’re not going to believe this, Shepard, but she doesn’t have <em> any </em> of the immunizations I’d expect from any standard <em> human </em> to have, let alone a colonist or a member of the Alliance. The few that she <em> does </em> have are for outdated, eradicated diseases and, frankly, that’s a concern.”</p>
<p>“Why?”</p>
<p>“Anyone wanting to target humanity gets a sample of her blood, and they can reverse-genetically engineer those diseases that <em> we have no herd immunity for </em>.”</p>
<p>“So she’s a potential walking bioweapon. Great,” Shepard muttered.</p>
<p>“If it makes you feel any better, she’s got a good immune system in her. Hardy, and responsive. She’s putting up a good fight against the infection she picked up back on Eden Prime. Solibacillus wouldn’t normally pose a problem, not even to someone with limited exposure like hers, but she did lose a lot of blood, and-” The doctor moved to a display screen and called Shepard over.  “There’s this.” The screen lit up to show an image of a brain scan.</p>
<p>“What am I looking at?”</p>
<p>“The cerebrum. Your woman is left-handed, which I must say is a pleasant surprise in this time and age. Notice, however, these two areas.” Chawkwas tapped on the screen, enlarging the image. “The Broca’s and Wernicke’s areas. They’re not only bigger than an average human’s, but they’re also-”</p>
<p>“-lit up like a damn homing beacon,” Shepard finished. “What does that mean?”</p>
<p>“Well, I can’t say for certain, but it looks like she’s got very advanced language skills.”</p>
<p>“Just how advanced are we talking about?”</p>
<p>The older woman shrugged. “Advanced enough to not require the use of a translator, if my instincts are correct.”</p>
<p>Shepard stared at the brightly-lit image for several seconds. “Damn.” she breathed. “Anything else special about our mystery woman?”</p>
<p>“Nothing yet. I’m seeing some slight discrepancies in the amygdala and cingulate gyrus, but it’s hard to say if it’s something to take note of or just a side effect of the head wound she received.”</p>
<p>“Think she’ll pull through, doc?”</p>
<p>“I certainly hope so. Regardless of her current state, Commander, it is my expert recommendation that she be immediately put on a vaccination regimen as soon as she recovers. A couple of days in quarantine, just to be on the safe side. I don’t expect anything serious but it might be a good idea to keep her away from the rest of the crew till I’ve administered all her shots.” </p>
<p>“We’re going to need her to testify before the Council.”</p>
<p>Chakwas sighed. “Well, you’re going to have to get her to agree to it. Once she wakes up, of course. But I’d like to talk about you now.”</p>
<p>“Me? I’m fine.”</p>
<p>“Physically, yes. But I detected some unusual brain activity. Abnormal beta waves. There was also an increase in rapid eye movement, a sign typically associated with intense dreaming.”</p>
<p>Hazy images began to form in her mind again. She tried to focus on them; they felt important. Urgent. She- there was a sense of- desperation. Fear. Panic, despair, hopelessness. She saw- War? It felt like it. Like complete and absolute annihilation. Jane shivered with how intense the emotions were, her skin pricking with gooseflesh. It had been some kind of- it was not a cry for help, she sensed instinctively. An omen. A warning.  A very, very ominous one. </p>
<p>“I- I think it may have been a vision, doctor,” she shut her eyes, tried to pull the images into focus once again, trying hard to push away the emotions they evoked. They were too blurry, too haphazard for her to make sense of. “Something about- death. Destruction. The beacon- I- it felt- I think it was maybe a warning? It felt like it.”</p>
<p>“Hmmm. I better add this to my report-” The door hissed and slid open, and Shepard turned to watch Captain Anderson walk into the room. Kaidan took the opportunity to head for the mess. As a fellow biotic, he undoubtedly needed to refuel. She made a mental note to grab something to eat as soon as she could.</p>
<p>“How’s my XO holding up, doctor?” Anderson’s sharp gaze took her in, his eyes narrowing slightly at something.</p>
<p>“All the readings look normal. I’d say the commander’s going to be just fine.” She picked up a datapad from the counter. “I’m guessing you’ll want to talk to her, captain.” Chakwas left the room.</p>
<p>“Sounds like that beacon hit you pretty hard, Shepard. You sure you’re okay?”</p>
<p>Jane raised her chin a little stubbornly as she replied, “I’ll be fine. What’s the situation, captain?”</p>
<p>“I’m not going to lie to you; things are pretty bad. The beacon is destroyed. The geth are invading. The council… they’re going to want some answers.”</p>
<p>She’d pretty much sussed out the situation for herself, but it still made her wince to hear Anderson say it. “I didn’t do anything wrong, captain,” she got off the medical bed gingerly, closing her eyes briefly against the moment of dizziness. “I hope they can see that.”</p>
<p>“I’ll stand behind you and your report, Shepard, but that’s not why I’m here.”</p>
<p>“Saren,” she guessed.</p>
<p>Anderson exhaled. His brows were knitted together, and he rolled his shoulders before speaking. “He’s a Spectre, one of the best. A living legend. But if he’s working with the geth, it means he’s gone rogue. Saren’s dangerous. And he hates humans.”</p>
<p>“He wasn’t on Eden Prime because he hates humans,” she grimly recalled the failed mission. “He wanted the beacon. That girl- she said he wanted the beacon, that he attacked the colony to cover his tracks. We stopped him from getting what he wanted.” Her shoulders dropped. “Even if it’s destroyed.”</p>
<p>“You were there before the beacon self-destructed. Did you see anything? Any clue about what Saren might be after?”</p>
<p>“Just before I lost consciousness,” she cleared her throat, then exhaled. “I had some kind of… vision?”</p>
<p>“A vision?” Anderson’s brow shot up. Jane couldn’t blame him. Even though she’d experienced it, it still felt ridiculous to call it that.</p>
<p>“I saw… synthetics. Geth, maybe? They were… slaughtering people.” Her voice dropped as she recalled the horrific vision. “<em> Butchering </em> them. I think it may have been some kind of warning, Captain.” </p>
<p>The captain was quiet for several moments, pacing up and down the small room. He turned to face her. “We need to report this to the Council, Shepard.”</p>
<p>She scoffed. “And tell them what? That I had a bad dream?”</p>
<p>“Look, we don’t know what information was stored in that beacon,” Anderson was grim. “Lost Prothean technology? Blueprints for some ancient weapon of mass destruction? Whatever it was, Saren took it.”</p>
<p>“What do you mean, Saren took it? He left the beacon behind-” Realization dawned. “He activated the beacon. He got to it before me… and took what it had.” She exhaled. “Fuck.”</p>
<p>“He has the secrets from the beacon. He has an army of geth at his disposal. He hates humanity, and he won’t stop till he’s wiped us from the face of the galaxy!” Jane had never heard Anderson sound so grim before. It added to her already not-insignificant concern.</p>
<p>She wasn’t so sure she subscribed to Anderson’s interpretation of her vision. Surely Saren must’ve seen the same thing she had. Unless there was something she was missing, some prior knowledge he had that she didn’t… which was a very real possibility, given his Spectre status. She gnawed on her lip, trying to work through their options. “What about the girl, Captain? I think she might know more about Saren’s plans. She did stop him from killing Nihlus. Even if she doesn’t, she could be a witness when we let the council know that Saren’s gone rogue.”</p>
<p>The captain sighed, the sound heavy in the room. “It’s not that easy, Shepard. There’s no record of the girl. Even if she’s from the Terminus Systems, there should be <em> something </em>. If she doesn’t exist, then… well, it’s probable that she isn’t trustworthy.  We can’t use her as a witness. We can’t use anything we associated with her. That means that you won’t be able to tell them what she told you.”</p>
<p>“Nihlus is alive,” she pointed out. “The Council will believe him when he tells them Saren tried to kill him.”</p>
<p>“He’s currently unresponsive, and we don’t know how long it’ll be till he recovers. We need to act quickly, commander. The longer we wait, the more dangerous Saren gets.”</p>
<p>Shepard considered their options. “There was that one farmer, who saw what happened between Nihlus and Saren. We could use his testimony. Between that, and my report, it should be enough to convince the Council.”</p>
<p>Anderson hummed thoughtfully. “I’ll contact the ambassador and see if he can get us an audience with them. He’ll want to see us as soon as we reach the Citadel. Head up to the bridge and tell Joker to enter coordinates.”</p>
<p>“Aye aye, captain.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Amy’s eyes flew open, hands tightly fisted in the sheets below her, breath coming out in hard and fast pants. She tried to calm herself down even as her gaze flew around in an attempt to take stock of where she was.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The ceiling was white, made brighter by the lights in the room. She could hear the gentle whirring of machines, but over that was the deeper, throatier hum of something she couldn’t identify. It echoed between her ears, made her already achy head feel so much worse. The harsh scent of antiseptic was jarring and unfamiliar, nothing like the ethanol and bleach she was used to.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Where am I?</span>
  </em>
  <span> Her mind responded sluggishly, reluctant to work amidst the pain it was in. The last she remembered, she was- there was a bad dream? Something about Saren? He’d shot her, and she was...she was </span>
  <em>
    <span>dying</span>
  </em>
  <span>, she knew she was, there had been so much blood, too much, way too much- but then Nihlus was there, and he helped her with medigel-</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Saren shot her? Nihlus gave her medigel</span>
  </em>
  <span>? That couldn’t be right. She’d just had a bad dream. Maybe it was that leftover burrito - she really should’ve thrown it away like Sarah had warned her to… she rolled to her side, attempting to sit up. The whimper that accompanied the motion was involuntary.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Her whole body ached - it felt as though she’d been run over by a dozen trucks.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Or been shot with a gun</span>
  </em>
  <span>, a voice whispered in her head, but she ignored it. That was clearly just a dream. Right?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The lights in the room were so bright. She winced against them and raised a shaky hand to protect her eyes. There seemed to be someone else here, with her? With the light still in her eyes, they were just a silhouette. “Hello?” she called out shakily, and that caught the attention of the stranger. The form turned, just as her eyes adjusted to the light, and immediately she tensed.  Her brain couldn’t seem to comprehend the images coming through her senses.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It couldn’t be.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ah, you’re up at last. Good.” A calm, friendly voice stated, but Amy could only stare at its owner.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>It couldn’t be</span>
  </em>
  <span>. That short silver hair, those kind features, that </span>
  <em>
    <span>uniform</span>
  </em>
  <span>… Dr. Karin Chakwas was standing in front of her and it was </span>
  <em>
    <span>not possible</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Maybe she needed to scratch out the dream theory and seriously take into consideration the possibility she was hallucinating.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She chuckled, the sound a little hysterical. “I’m either dreaming or hallucinating, and neither are good. I guess you would know, since you’re a doctor… but then again you </span>
  <em>
    <span>are</span>
  </em>
  <span> a figment of my imagination, so you’re going to say whatever is in my subconscious, which is…” she waited expectantly for her brain to supply the explanation.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Instead, Chakwas took a step closer, and pulling out those slim flashlights she’d seen doctors carry before, began to examine her eyes. “You’re not dreaming,” her voice was calm and exactly like how she’d sounded in the games. “And you’re not hallucinating, though I’m curious to know why you think you are.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Amy frowned. Of course, this wasn’t real! How could it be- she looked around the space, recognizing the medical bay. Everything in the room was crisp and in sharp focus… almost as though </span>
  <em>
    <span>she was actually in there</span>
  </em>
  <span>. The beds - she could feel the way the mattress beneath her had sunken with her weight; the cabinets - made of metal with clear plastic windows, everything neatly labeled;  the work tables - she could make out the small dents and notches on the surface; the dispensary had several strange-looking bottles and vials the small, hood-vented lab in the corner had its fan running…</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Too many details for it to be a dream, but she </span>
  <em>
    <span>couldn’t</span>
  </em>
  <span> accept the alternative, she just couldn’t, it wasn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>possible</span>
  </em>
  <span>! She began to panic, her chest rising and falling rapidly even as her lungs struggled to draw in a breath. Her head swung in all directions, desperately searching for some kind of exit, a way to get out of her and get back to where she was from- </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She yelped as something sharp pricked her, her eyes wide as she stared at Chakwas who was now in the process of discarding the syringe she’d just used on Amy. Her mouth opened and shut rapidly, not having enough breath to form words. After several moments, the tightness in her chest eased, and she began to breathe easier.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m sorry for the lack of warning,” the doctor looked serious as she pressed some kind of scanner to Amy’s chest, “but you were hyperventilating quite badly, and I didn’t want you to pass out.” Setting aside the strange device, she took Amy’s hand and slid a needle attached to an IV tube very neatly into a vein.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What’s that for?” she asked cautiously, tamping down the urge to rip it away from her skin.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“A basic nutrient solution.” The doctor checked to make sure everything was secure, nodding as she stepped away. “You lost quite a lot of blood, you know.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Amy found that the idea of a dream was hard to hold on to when everything felt as- as </span>
  <em>
    <span>real</span>
  </em>
  <span> as it did. She’d </span>
  <em>
    <span>felt</span>
  </em>
  <span> Chakwas touch her. She felt the very strange, unnerving way the needle moved ever-so-slightly beneath her skin when she moved her hand. She felt the air conditioning hit the back of her neck. Too many details for a dream. And she knew she wasn’t hallucinating.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Something was definitely wrong, and while that thought was frightening, it terrified her more to know she was going to have to find out what it was.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Dr. Chakwas?” she called out.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The silver-haired woman turned around, surprise on her face. “How did you know my name?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Amy ignored the doctor’s question. “Please, Dr. Chakwas, could you just- I’m- I’m confused, could you just please answer a few questions for me? So I- so I know what’s going on?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t think I’m the right person for that. You should talk to Captain Anderson-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Please</span>
  </em>
  <span>, doctor.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It must have been the terror in her voice that swayed the doctor, because Chakwas sighed and nodded. “So long as it doesn’t break protocol, I’ll answer.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Thank you.” Amy took a deep breath before asking the question more pressing in her mind. “Are we aboard the Normandy?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Chakwas looked confused - whatever question she’d been expecting, this hadn’t been it. “Yes.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And- and-” she licked her lips. “We’re headed for the Citadel?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Amy was too scared to ask anything else. This wasn’t a dream. This was very much </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> a dream. Thanks to some glitch - some kind of strange, inexplicable anomaly, she wasn’t where she was supposed to be. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She was in an entirely new universe - was it a new universe? Or just the one she was in? She didn’t know, she had no way of being able to tell, but it helped to think of this as </span>
  <em>
    <span>new</span>
  </em>
  <span> - and she was in a time that was far more technologically advanced than her own, at a period of time where the clock was counting down to the destruction of said galaxy.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>To say she was </span>
  <em>
    <span>beyond fucked</span>
  </em>
  <span> was putting it mildly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, my god.” she sank her head into her hands. She was sure if it wasn’t for the drug currently circulating through her system, she’d be in the middle of another panic attack. She wasn’t aware of Chakwas leaving, or of other people entering the room. All she could focus on was the fact that she was so completely, absolutely, utterly fucked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Someone cleared their throat. Amy looked up to find Captain Anderson looking at her, his face a stern mask. “I believe you owe us some answers.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She rubbed her face, running a hand through her hair. She sighed heavily. “I guess I do? God, I have no idea what’s going on anymore.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The first question was expected. “Who are you?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“My name is Amy. Amy Davis.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And what do you do, Ms. Davis, that we can’t seem to find any sign of your existence anywhere?” Anderson’s tone was mild, but his eyes were sharp.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Amy drew in a deep breath. “That’s the thing. Or- here’s the thing. I don’t exist here, because- because I’m not </span>
  <em>
    <span>from</span>
  </em>
  <span> here. I don’t belong here.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A disbelieving snort from the woman standing next to him. Amy turned her attention to Commander Shepard, taking in the woman properly for the first time. She looked - well, not quite like the default Femshep model, but close to it. Copper-ginger hair hitting the base of her jaw, earthy green eyes framed by thick, shapely brows. Determination in the angled cheekbones, strength in the jut of her chin. A lithe frame, but Amy could see the muscles beneath the skin ripple with the small movements the Commander took. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Amy wanted to know more about her. Desperately.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Commander Shepard,” she turned her attention to the ginger-haired woman. “Earthborn?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Shepard nodded, eyes narrowed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Stationed at- Elysium, Akuze, or Torfan?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Elysium. Though I fail to see what this means-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Elysium. So, you earned the Star of Terra there. And are you-” Amy looked closer at the woman, spotting the tell-tale amp hidden behind an ear. “A biotic.” She nodded, satisfied.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What the </span>
  <em>
    <span>fuck</span>
  </em>
  <span>?” Shepard’s hand folded into a fist, and faint tendrils of blue trailed out from it. The sight made Amy’s heart beat faster.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Look, I know I sound insane. I know it!” She shifted her gaze between the two figures, desperately attempting to get them to listen. “But you have to hear me out, please. Just- just listen to me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Anderson was tense, and it showed in his voice when he spoke. “Go on.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“In- in about three and a half years, the Reapers will arrive and begin their cyclic destruction of the galaxy. All sentient life will be attacked. Entire worlds will fall. Every major homeland will be targeted. Earth, Palaven, even Thessia. All of them will be destroyed if the reapers are not stopped, and there’s only one person who can stop them-” she looked at Shepard. “You.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The reapers are a myth,” Shepard retorted, her eyes never leaving Amy’s.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I- I can understand why you think they’re a myth. But they’re very real. You think Saren is the villain you’re after - he’s not. The ship you saw in the sky in Eden Prime? That was a reaper ship. Sovereign. It’s- it has taken over control of Saren, indoctrinated him. And also- also Matriarch Benezia.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Say we believe you,” Anderson stated, crossing his arms over his chest. “What does he want?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Amy explained the events of Mass Effect 1 as best as she could: about how the beacon’s message was a warning, that the cipher could be found in Feros with the Thorian, that Saren was trying to genetically engineer rachni (from the rachni queen he had in his lab in Noveria), to his attempt at building a krogan army in Virmire - everything, including Ilos, the conduit, and finally, the dark secret of the Citadel itself - how it was a mass relay that when activated would let the reapers in, how Sovereign was merely a vanguard left behind after the last cycle to keep watch and let the rest of its kind in when it was time.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There was a heavy silence when she was done.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And if we defeat Sovereign, that’s the end of it?” Shepard asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No.” Amy couldn’t look at either of them. She stared at her bare feet, wiggled her toes to cover up her stress. “Sovereign is just the beginning. The Reapers have been around for a very, very long time - so long I wouldn’t be able to even guess how old they are. They’re AI machines, technologically much more advanced than any species that currently exists or has ever existed. They’re capable of mind control and indoctrination, they harvest entire civilizations, they’re cruel, and ruthless, and they have many, many tools at their disposal. And they’re coming.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So how the fuck do we destroy them?!!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She cleared her throat, but it remained as dry as ever. “It won’t be easy. The tools are there, signs and warnings and data left behind by the Protheans, and those that came before them. There are schematics, too. But all that doesn’t really matter, you see. Your biggest obstacle will be politics. No one will believe you - not the Alliance, not the Council, not the governments of every species out there. No one will work on something to counter a threat that they think is imaginary. You’ll get no help from them. And- and then there’s the matter of having to unite all the galaxy’s races, too.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Another long silence. Amy began to fidget, rubbing her fingers against the faux-rubber material that covered the medical bed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Shepard cleared her throat, her tone still clearly disbelieving. “How do you know all this, anyway?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Amy shrugged, still not looking at them. “I’m not from here. I’m not from this- timeline, I guess you could say? In my time, we’re pretty much basic explorers of the solar system. And I’m pretty sure I’m at least a century and a half behind this time. Also, I’m not sure if we have reapers in our time? I mean, it could be, but I have no way of finding out, so…” she lifted and dropped her shoulders artlessly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Still doesn’t answer the question.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She sighed. There was no way of saying what she had to say without sounding like a one-hundred-percent Certified Crazy person, but after actually seeing Sovereign - and Saren, not to mention getting fucking shot by him - she was reasonably certain she’d landed right in the middle of the game. Except this wasn’t a game, right? This was- this was the real deal. “You’re not going to like this answer,” she warned, then sighed again. “Video games.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Shepard threw her hands up in the air. “This fucking timeline of yours is from a </span>
  <em>
    <span>fucking game</span>
  </em>
  <span>?” she swore. Shaking her head, she scoffed, “And here I was, actually about to believe you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey!” Amy snapped, finally glancing up at the Commander. “It might sound crazy, okay, but it’s true. I told you about Saren, didn’t I? Wasn’t I right about that? And you know Nihlus? The guy who’s supposed to be assessing your eligibility for Spectre status?” At Shepard’s narrowed eyes, she nodded with a small sneer, “Yeah, I know about that too. Anyway, Nihlus would’ve </span>
  <em>
    <span>died</span>
  </em>
  <span> if I hadn’t intervened. Saren would’ve shot him right in the back of the head. You think I’d joke about this? Joke about something as serious as the </span>
  <em>
    <span>fucking reapers</span>
  </em>
  <span> when it’s obvious that I’m fucking </span>
  <em>
    <span>stuck</span>
  </em>
  <span> here in this goddamn timeline with no idea how or why I got here or how to go back? Do you see me laughing?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The seriousness of her situation struck her, and she burst out into hysterical laughter. “Holy fucking hell, I’m stuck here, with absolutely nothing, no idea of this world or how it works and no idea of how to defend myself when there’s a war on the horizon….holy </span>
  <em>
    <span>fuck</span>
  </em>
  <span>…” She drew her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, rocking back and forth on the bed in a futile attempt to calm herself down, muttering </span>
  <em>
    <span>crap crap crap I’m screwed I’m screwed</span>
  </em>
  <span> over and over.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The next few minutes were a blur. The door opened, and Chakwas rushed to her side, using the IV to administer some kind of sedative - a few blinks and Amy was out.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>There was pin drop silence in the CO’s office. Anderson was seated at the desk, tapping away into his datapad, while Shepard paced up and down restlessly.</p>
<p>“It can’t be possible, right?” she burst out. “I mean, it all sounds insane. A Spectre agent working for a reaper? A reaper invasion? It sounds like a drug-induced hallucination. And what about her whole not-being-from-here spiel? That has to be the biggest pile of bullshit I’ve heard, ever. She’s probably just some assassin operating under an alias or something.”</p>
<p>Anderson just hummed in reply. She spun around on him. “You can’t be seriously contemplating this, sir?”</p>
<p>“It is a far-fetched tale, but there are some- well. She does have some things to support her claim.”</p>
<p>“The Saren prophecy?” she scoffed. “Just a lucky guess. She was probably lurking around, saw him with the geth, watched him do some shady shit with the beacon, put two and two together. Her conscience probably got the best of her at the last minute, or something.”</p>
<p>“She was unarmed, Shepard, when she saved Nihlus. And that farmer was adamant he saw her fall out of the beacon-”</p>
<p>“She must have lost her weapon, Captain. And maybe that farmer was on drugs-” her stomach sank as she suggested it. If the man <em> was </em> on drugs, their report to the council wouldn’t fare well...</p>
<p>“It’s not just that, Shepard.” Anderson slid the data pad over to her. “I’ve been searching on the extranet. The reapers of myth? Every source we have on them shows them looking exactly like that ship on Eden Prime.”</p>
<p>“With all due respect, sir, that’s hardly conclusive evidence-”</p>
<p>“-And there’s this.” He cut her off, handing her a small square rectangle.</p>
<p>“A credit chit?” she examined it in confusion. “What does this have to do with anything?”</p>
<p>“Chakwas found it on her, gave it to me. I’ve been investigating. The account is in some ancient asari bank. When I contacted the bank, they said that the account was so old, no one knew who the original owner was. It’s just- existed.”</p>
<p>“For how long,” Shepard asked, her throat dry.</p>
<p>“No one can tell. They said it was one of the accounts that opened up when the bank was first opened. There’s no name for the officer who opened the account, or the owner of the account. It’s almost as if it just… sprung up into existence, at random, waiting for the owner to claim it one day.”</p>
<p>“Captain, sir, that’s just a-”</p>
<p>“Read the note attached, Commander.”</p>
<p>“<em> Three-point-five years till the Reapers arrive. I’m sorry for everything that you will go through, but you can help them. May you and yours never lack in the fight. E.C.” </em> She looked at the Captain. “You know she could’ve just left this note herself, right?”</p>
<p>“Yes. But as I said, I did some research. The account has been dormant for centuries- until it was activated. <em> Twelve hours ago. </em>”</p>
<p>“When we first encountered her on Eden Prime,” Shepard breathed. “Still-”</p>
<p>“I understand your concern, Commander, but consider this - with your experienced eye, does she look like a soldier? Or an assassin?”</p>
<p>Shepard gnawed on her already chapped lip, tugging at the loose skin. “No, sir,” she answered at last. “Too soft, doesn’t have the build of someone familiar with combat. Skin relatively unscarred, hands free of calluses indicative of little experience with firearms-”</p>
<p>“Exactly.” Anderson cut her off. “And you’ve read Dr. Chakwas’ report. There are enough irregularities for her claim to be believable. Regardless of who she is and where she claims to be from, Shepard, she’s got knowledge. Maybe not all of it is valid, but she certainly seems to know about what Saren has planned, and that can only benefit us.”</p>
<p>She exhaled heavily. “There’s a lot that needs to be done with Amy, sir. Chakwas is working on her medically, but even with that, we’re going to need to bring her up to speed with how things work. And if she’s going to be working on the Normandy, she’s going to need an official position- and she’ll need to have records on the Citadel-”</p>
<p>“I’ll take care of the records,” Anderson remarked. “I’ll have her assigned as the Normandy’s yeoman. Udina will be sure to appreciate the title.”</p>
<p>“What about the rest?”</p>
<p>“That’s on you, Shepard. She seems to think you’re our best chance of- whatever it is we’re facing. Warm up to her, get to know her. The more trust you build, the more she’s likely to tell you. I don’t think I have to tell you that every little bit of information helps.”</p>
<p>“Understood, sir.”</p>
<p>“Oh, and one last thing, Commander. Saren is a ruthless bastard. Be careful when dealing with him.”</p><hr/>
<p>“We need to talk.”</p>
<p>Amy looked up to find Commander Shepard standing by the door of the med bay. The redhead’s expression was set, stern, and gave nothing away as to what she was thinking. She sighed inwardly - she knew this talk was coming, yet she was in no way prepared. </p>
<p>Then again, just exactly <em> did </em> one prepare for something like this, anyway?</p>
<p>“Yeah, I guessed as much.” </p>
<p>Shepard entered in, giving a pleasant nod to Dr. Chakwas as the older woman made her way out of the room. The Commander pulled up a chair and sat next to Amy’s bed. For several moments, the civilian and the soldier just stared at the other.</p>
<p>“So.” The redhead broke the silence. “You have to understand, what you said- it’s a lot to take in. So how about we just start at the basics. You seem to know a great deal about me, Amy-”</p>
<p>“Well, actually,” Amy coughed out. “I, umm. I don’t know <em> all </em> that much about you. Your future, sure. Past, not exactly. I mean, I don’t even know your name…”</p>
<p>Shepard’s lips twitched. “You’re kidding.”</p>
<p>Amy shrugged.</p>
<p>“Huh. You know, that’s actually… a bit reassuring, really. Why don’t we start there, hmm? Hi, I’m Commander Jane Shepard of the Systems Alliance.”</p>
<p>“Amy Davis.”</p>
<p>“What do- did you do, Amy?”</p>
<p>“I was an engineer. Dealt in coding, mostly”</p>
<p>Jane’s ears perked up. “Coding, you say? What kind?”</p>
<p>“I was contracted out with NASA - that’s the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, I don’t know if they’re still around…”</p>
<p>“NASA? That was the space program run by the States, right? They were integrated into the Earth Space Venture Program about a century ago.”</p>
<p>“Oh. Well, I worked on a number of projects there, the last one was improving the efficiency of navigational systems. Sounds a whole lot fancier than it was, really.”</p>
<p>“So, you’ve got an interest in tech?”</p>
<p>“You could say that. Though I’m sure everything I know is obsolete, heh.” Amy let out an awkward chuckle.</p>
<p>Jane made a noncommittal sound in reply.</p>
<p>She exhaled, dropping her head so her chin almost hit her chest. She could guess why Shepard was here; she only hoped that she could keep it together better this time around. “I’m guessing you want to talk about- about what I know?”</p>
<p>Shepard brought up one foot to rest on her knee as she began, her tone brisk, “You’ve told us what Saren plans, but you also did mention that Sovereign was just the beginning. What exactly are we dealing with here?”</p>
<p>“To be perfectly honest, Commander, it’s- it’s not an easy road you have ahead,” Amy told her, in summary, of the events that came after the first game - the Commander’s death and subsequent resurrection by Cerberus; of the Collectors, and their base; of Aratoth, and the destruction of the alpha mass relay, her house arrest, and the arrival of the reapers - and their attack on Earth, Palaven and Thessia - as well as the Crucible.</p>
<p>Shepard looked, for a moment, lost and overwhelmed, and Amy couldn’t blame the woman. Though Jane Shepard was accomplished indeed - her efforts in Elysium proof of her greatness - defeating the reapers was an entirely different matter.</p>
<p>“You’re joking,” Jane finally spoke, her voice flat, her eyes indecipherable. “You have to be. The Reapers are a myth, no one’s heard of the Collectors - and you’re saying I <em> die </em> ? And <em> Cerberus </em> brings me back to life? Look, just tell me honestly - what kind of drugs are you on? Dr. Chakwas says you’re clean, but only a druggie can come up with a story this wild.”</p>
<p>“I’m not on drugs!” she exclaimed, more than a little offended. “And I <em> wish </em> I was lying, I really do, but I’m not.”</p>
<p>“Come on, Amy. You really expect me to believe all that?”</p>
<p>She threw her hands up in the air. “You’re asking for proof of things that happen in the future, Commander. How am I supposed to give you that proof? Wasn’t my warning about Saren enough? Look, I understand it all sounds insane, but- I swear to you, I swear, it all happens- is going to happen.”</p>
<p>“Jesus, Amy.” the redhead rose, every inch of her tense, and began to pace the length of the room. “You’re sure all this is going to happen? You did mention the plot was from a video game, right? This isn’t a game, not even close. The things you’re talking about - a lot of innocent people are going to die if what you say is true.”</p>
<p>“I’m aware.” There was a large lump in her throat, so big it ached. She’d seen the damage, the fires, the chaos, the deaths... but all that was through a screen. It would be different now, and if she thought too hard about it she might have a mental breakdown. Her psyche was already fraying at the edges, hysteria looming around the borders like a particularly malevolent fog. So she pushed that stuff to the side, and tried to be brave. She tried to be, just a little, tiny bit, like the heroic Commander Shepard she’d so often played as. “Believe me, I know. And- okay, look. I don’t know <em> for absolute certain </em> if it’ll all happen. But- Eden Prime, the thing between Saren and Nihlus… what happened with you and the beacon… it’s exactly as what happened in the game. Umm, except for Nihlus, though, he died in the game.”</p>
<p>“He did mention that you saved his life. Why?”</p>
<p>She shifted, raised a hand to rub the back of her neck to ease some of the tension there. “Enough people are going to die, Commander,” she sighed, ignoring the cold fist in her chest. “I wasn’t about to let one of the good ones go down, not if I could help it. There aren’t many of those around.” </p>
<p>“Got a soft spot for him, do you?”</p>
<p>Amy felt the tips of her ears heat up. “N-no, it’s nothing like that-”</p>
<p>“I’m just kidding, Davis. You did a good thing. He put my name forward for Spectre status, you know.” The right side of Shepard’s mouth quirked up into a half-smile.</p>
<p>“I know. You’d have gotten it anyways-”</p>
<p>Jane froze where she stood. “I become a Spectre?” she asked quietly.</p>
<p>Amy grinned widely, her voice carrying the great deal of pride she felt for Commander Shepard, “hell yeah, you do. Humanity’s first Spectre - and in my humble opinion, the best.”</p>
<p>The Commander laughed disbelievingly, one hand on her forehead before it dropped down to her side. “I- I think I’m going to believe it when it happens.”</p>
<p>She shrugged, though she wasn’t surprised. “Up to you.” She had the feeling that Shepard didn’t quite believe everything she said - she hadn’t even blinked when Amy had reasserted that Jane was going to die. She couldn’t offer proof - where and how was she going to get it anyway? All she could do was hope that when the time came, Shepard would take her at her word, and not, <em> believe it when it happens </em>. Because that would be disastrous. She waited for Jane to say something else, maybe ask her for details or press her for more information, and when that wasn’t forthcoming, she continued, “How- how is Nihlus? I heard he, uhh, he was injured.”</p>
<p>That seemed to snap the Commander out of her thoughts. “He got caught in the explosion from a plasma containment unit. Hit him pretty hard. Chakwas thinks he’ll recover, but it’ll be a while before he wakes up.”</p>
<p>“Oh. I’m sorry.”</p>
<p>Jane waved off her concern. “He’s a Spectre. And a turian, at that. They’re used to it.”</p>
<p>Amy nodded. Then, clearing her throat, she asked the question foremost on her mind. “What’s-” she cleared her throat again. “What’s going to happen to me? Am I going to prison? Or...” she swallowed, her voice going low and somewhat shaky, “will the Alliance have me executed?”</p>
<p>Shepard sighed and rolled her eyes. “Stop looking so worried, Amy. You’re not going to be imprisoned, and certainly not executed, what do you think we are, barbarians? Right now, all you need to do is recover. You need to be given a complete check-up, which Dr. Chakwas will attend to. Captain Anderson’s working on getting you registered into the official galactic system. We’re heading back to the Citadel to meet with Ambassador Udina and the Council, so that’ll be our chance to get you up to date.” She grinned. “Pun intended.”</p>
<p>Amy groaned and shook her head at the terrible pun, though secretly she was thrilled at the commander - at <em> Jane’s </em> - sense of humor. “Am I expected to meet the Council? I’m not really sure they’ll believe anything I have to say.”</p>
<p>“No.” Jane didn’t elaborate further but continued on with her plans regarding Amy. “Once we dock with the Citadel, you’ll be staying in my personal quarters,” the commander stated. “That’ll give Dr. Chakwas a chance to finish off your medical treatment. You’ll also need to stock up on supplies - I’ll try to take you around, but if I’m too busy I’ll ask Chakwas or Ashley to help.”</p>
<p>The more Jane spoke, the more Amy couldn’t help but feel like Jane was her own person, not some kind of character creation done through a video game. The woman had a very distinct, very authoritative presence, almost larger than life even without the lens of hero worship. Though she’d been nothing but nice to Amy, she was very aware of the fact that this woman clearly took no shit.</p>
<p>“I’m to become part of the Normandy’s crew, then?” she frowned. That part confused her. Why would they want her- “You’re aware that I have no combat training whatsoever, right? And I’m certainly no good at the tech of your time, either. I can learn - I <em> will </em> learn - but it will take me time. Surely-”</p>
<p>“You know more about Saren’s plans than anyone else in the galaxy right now,” Jane replied. “It’s easier to have you aboard the Normandy as we track him. As far as your official position is concerned, you’ll be the ship’s yeoman-” the Commander broke off when Amy started to chuckle. “What’s so funny?” the redhead demanded.</p>
<p>“It’s nothing,” Amy smiled. “Just something you’ll see for yourself. In the future.” Her smile faded as she thought of exactly what the future held for the Commander.</p>
<p><em> Not now </em> , she thought to herself. <em> Focus on what matters at the moment. </em></p>
<p>“Anyway,” Jane continued, clearly still disgruntled, “your official position is yeoman, but you’ll be assisting me with planning. I’m hoping that you’ll have knowledge about the enemies we face, and approximate numbers. I’m not expecting miracles, of course, but a general idea would help us to plan firepower, armor requirements, squad composition. Ideally, you’ll never see ground combat.”</p>
<p>“While I appreciate that, Commander, I’d like to learn self-defense. Just in case.”</p>
<p>Something like approval glimmered in Jane’s eyes for a second. “Of course. The Normandy doesn’t have a training room, but we can clear some space out on the cargo deck for practice. I’ll teach you a few basics myself.”</p>
<p>“Thank you. I’d appreciate that.”</p>
<p>“A few things to keep in mind once we’re docked at the Citadel. Even though you’re going to be staying with me, I’d like you to be cautious. It’s easy to get lost, and there are places that can be dangerous. Don’t roam around by yourself. Avoid speaking with strangers unless you have someone with you, at least until we get your identity sorted. Captain Anderson will work on your Alliance documentation; you’ll be registered as a contractor working for the Alliance. I’ll need a few details from you - age, current address, next of kin-” </p>
<p>Amy quirked a brow. “Really?” she drawled. “How about <em> Prothean Beacon </em> for place of origin, and <em> Space </em> for current address then?”</p>
<p>To her credit, Jane flushed lightly. “Alright, well, what can you tell me about yourself?”</p>
<p>“You know my name - Amy Davis; date of birth November 10th… umm, I was 29 when I left my time, so… you might want to do the math on the year… I was born in Rochester, Minnesota- does it exist? It should, right?”</p>
<p>“It does,” Jane nodded abstractly as she typed rapidly into her omni-tool.</p>
<p>“My birth parents died when I was six, I was adopted a short while later but for all intents and purposes we can consider me orphaned, yeah?”</p>
<p>Shepard didn’t blink or flinch. “Some finagling, and we’ll get you into the register of a foster care shelter; I’ll have the Normandy listed as your current address, and I can serve as your next of kin-” she looked up at Amy. “If that’s okay with you, of course.”</p>
<p>Amy was stunned. A deep furrow formed between her brows. “I’m fine with that,” she said hesitantly,  “but are <em> you </em> sure?”</p>
<p>Jane shrugged, a frown on her face. “Why not?”</p>
<p>“I mean, seems like an awful lot of trouble-”</p>
<p>“Amy, it’s just a formality. It’s no big deal. Unless you have a better suggestion?”</p>
<p>“It’s just,” she raised her hands, trying to find the words to explain how overwhelmed and insecure she was feeling. “You’re amazing. You’re a <em> hero </em>. Someone like me,” she raked a hand through her hair, breaking off several strands in the process. “I’d probably just be dead weight for you, and I- I’d rather not do that to you, y’know?”</p>
<p>Shepard looked utterly baffled. “What does having me listed as your next of kin have to do with whatever it is that’s got you all flustered?”</p>
<p>She exhaled. “It’s not just that - though I mean, like… I don’t… why would you want to associate yourself with me?”</p>
<p>“You’re going to be part of the Normandy. Someone’s got to look out for you, given that you don’t have anyone else,” Jane was still confused. “Do you want me to put someone else? I’m sure Chakwas wouldn’t mind; I’d rather not approach Anderson about the matter-</p>
<p>“It’s everyone on the Normandy, okay!” she exclaimed. “All of you. I don’t get why you- why you want me around. I mean, I understand I know Saren’s plan, but… this is so… god, it’s so fucking <em> overwhelming </em> … I know what you’ve accomplished! I’ve seen what you’re capable of! Not just you, but your entire crew! And now <em> I’m </em> supposed to hang out with you? Me? I’m the square peg in the round hole that is the Normandy!”</p>
<p>The other woman stared at her for several minutes, seemingly taken aback by her sudden outburst. “Look,” she said at last. “I understand this is all very new for you. I get it. Well, kinda. I don’t claim to understand what you’re going through. It can’t be easy, starting over in a new place. But all things said and done, at the end of the day, all the people on board, we’re all just <em> people </em>.”</p>
<p>“Are you <em> kidding </em> me?” Amy was incredulous. “With all due respect, Commander, you’re a fucking <em> legend </em> . The galaxy might not know it yet, but they will. And the crew you’ll have? Legends in their own right. I mean, you have Joker as your pilot, for heaven’s sake, and he’s the best pilot <em> ever </em> - and he has Vrolik’s syndrome! Then there’s Garrus, and he’ll become general someday, and Tali will become admiral, and don’t even get me started on Liara - and of course Wrex will lead Tuchanka-” she babbled on, her anxiety spiking sharply at the thought that <em> she was going to meet them all at some point </em> and <em> holy fuck how the hell does someone like me fit in with fucking legends, holy fucking shit </em>.</p>
<p>“Amy. Amy!” Jane snapped her fingers in front of her face. Her brows were knitted together, her lips thinned out in confusion. “Who the fuck are you talking about?”</p>
<p>Amy let out her breath slowly. “Your crew, Commander.”</p>
<p>“I don’t have anyone by those names on my crew.”</p>
<p>“No, but you will.”</p>
<p>Shepard exhaled. “You said something about Tuchanka? There’s no way the Alliance will allow a Krogan onto this ship-”</p>
<p>“You’ll be in charge of the Normandy, Commander, and you’ll decide her crew.”</p>
<p>“Still, aliens on an Alliance ship-”</p>
<p>She didn’t bother mentioning that the ship would be wholly Shepard’s once she was made Spectre. “Those aliens are the ones who are going to help you defeat Saren. Besides, wasn’t this ship built with help from aliens? Turians, right? A bit hypocritical to decide not to let them on board, isn’t it?”</p>
<p>Jane was silent for several moments. “A <em> Krogan </em>?” she said disbelievingly.</p>
<p>“Oh, Commander.” Amy couldn’t help the grin. “There’s a good chance you’re going to have a <em> Prothean </em> on your crew at some point.” She burst out laughing at Jane’s shock.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Amy fiddled with the omnitool, her brow scrunched up in concentration. She was seated in a darkened corner of the crew deck - though even in her somewhat-hidden spot she was aware of the many curious glances directed her way.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The omni-tool was a marvel to her - a device that fit snugly and lightly on her forearm, that combined holographic technology with tactile responsivity to serve as an all-in-one device. She knew by now how to use it as a personal communicator - not just for voice and video but also for emails and text messages. The coding was easy to get a hang of, though there were parts of it that baffled her - she had no doubt that was from the Prothean tech that humanity had found on Mars. She made a mental note to buy some textbooks on the subject when they were on the Citadel.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Citadel. Each time she thought about it, her stomach fluttered. She was excited to see it, yes, but also nervous. She knew how large it was, and how crowded it’d be - but more than that it would be a chance for her to see other alien species up close.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>For heaven’s sake, please, please don’t make a fool out of yourself on the Citadel.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She knew Jane and Captain Anderson had decided against making any mention of her to the Council. Between the fact that he’d just set up her identity less than a day ago (a fact that anyone would likely see as a bit of a sketchy move - which made sense, who would believe a witness who’d shown up in the system mere hours before bringing forth accusations against a highly-regarded Spectre agent?) and the fact that she had valuable information about the future, it was thought to be best that as few people as possible knew of her existence. Amy didn’t mind. She wasn’t a huge fan of the Council, and she wasn’t exactly enthusiastic about people knowing who she was. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Especially</span>
  </em>
  <span> Cerberus.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Got a minute, Amy?” Chakwas’ voice broke through her focus. She looked up to find the doctor poking her head out of the med. bay. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sure.” She resigned herself to getting another shot. Dr. Chakwas had been very insistent about getting her immunized good and proper, and while she appreciated the thought, Amy was most definitely </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> a fan of needles. She winced as the good doctor neatly injected another vaccine into her. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Was this the last one?” she grumbled.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The older woman smiled sympathetically. “No, but you’re almost done. You’ll need two more, but those come after we’ve done a complete medical scan.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She sighed. “Thanks, Dr. Chakwas.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The silver-haired woman disposed of the used syringe and tidied up the area. “How are you getting along?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“With this thing?” She activated the omni-tool. “It’s amazing. I’ve been looking at the coding, and I think I’ve gotten the hang of it. I haven’t figured out how to activate the extranet VPNs and proxies, but I’m hoping that if I get a couple of books I can study up and figure out the Prothean coding, and-” she broke off when she caught the woman giving her an amused smile. “That- sorry, I got carried away didn’t I?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s nice to see someone with the kind of enthusiasm you have.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, well,” she cleared her throat. “I’m- I have a long way to go before I get up to date on a lot of stuff.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You know that those who do know of your… circumstances… don’t judge you for what you do or don’t know, right? They know it’ll take time for you to get acclimatized.” Chakwas’ eyes were kind.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Amy hung her head, unable to meet the older woman’s eyes, and just as unable to accept her kindness. “I don’t want to be a burden, doctor. I know what- what Shepard and her crew are capable of. I know I can’t ever hope to fit in, but I’ll be damned if I don’t at least </span>
  <em>
    <span>try</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You could ask for help.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I could, I guess,” she lifted one shoulder and let it drop.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“But you won’t.” Chakwas shook her head reprovingly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She stared out at the currently-empty mess area. Everyone on the ship was busy with their duties… as if any of them would be interested in wasting their precious free time in helping her learn enough to gain civilian status. “I’m sure they all have enough to deal with as it is, without having to babysit someone like me,” she said quietly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Or maybe they’d appreciate your enthusiasm to learn. It’s not a weakness to ask for help.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I-” she sighed, shoulders slumping involuntarily. “I know.” She didn’t, though. Most of the crew viewed her with a mix of confusion and pity. They didn’t even know the full truth of the circumstances - only that she’d interacted with the beacon on Eden Prime, had been attacked by Saren, and the scuttlebutt was that she’d lost her memories of how to use and operate tools as a result. For a moment, she wondered what they’d think if they knew the entirety of the truth - then remembered that the fewer people who knew about her, the better. She didn’t want to catch Cerberus’ attention.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Just something to keep in mind. Now, before you go - have you had any sort of negative reaction to the rations? Nausea, vomiting, anything?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Umm, just a bit of stomach upset, but nothing serious.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Good to know.” Chakwas made a note on her datapad. “It’s just your stomach getting used to the change in food, but if it continues it’s something to look into. Let me know if anything feels strange, will you?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She grinned and nodded. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Off you go, then.” Chakwas shooed her away with a smile.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Amy made her way back to her corner but found someone else sitting there.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Staff Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko, biotic Sentinel, BaAT survivor, a potential second human Spectre.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She froze, her feet refusing to move, silently observing him. He was in civvies, a comfortable looking pair of pants, and an equally faded t-shirt. The lack of uniform should have been comforting, but it left her feeling even more intimidated because the material highlighted his broad shoulders and clung to his well-defined biceps. He looked exactly like how he had in the game - the strong jaw, pointed chin, a light scruff on his face (that was far more attractive than it should’ve been, she admitted to herself). </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She felt herself flush and cursed herself. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Jeez, what’s wrong with me. I never thought of him that way.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He raised his head from his datapad, and a tiny furrow formed between his brows when he spotted her. Amy felt her cheeks heat up even more. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Dammit.</span>
  </em>
  <span> “Oh, I’m- uhh, sorry to disturb you,” she barely managed to squeak out the words.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re not disturbing me,” he said in his calm voice, the frown having turned into a small smile, “plenty of space to sit.” He gestured to the empty chairs with a smile.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Crap</span>
  </em>
  <span>. If she left, it’d be rude, but if she stayed, she’d be on edge… With a sigh, she sat and began to tinker with the omni-tool again, doing her best to shrug off the intimidation that caused her shoulders to hunch.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You seem to have gotten the hang of that,” Kaidan remarked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s fascinating,” she replied, her attention still on the gadget. A thought struck her. Kaidan was a Sentinel, he had both tech and biotic abilities. Maybe he could help her figure out- “Hey, you know your way around tech, right?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He looked taken aback. “I know some things, yeah.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay, so, maybe you could help me figure this part out?” She brought up the parts in the code she didn’t understand, and soon they were in the middle of a lively discussion. Kaidan was a remarkable teacher - patient, with a knack for explaining a subject in simple layman’s terms.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I think I have some of my old college books - I’ll dig them up and send the data pads over if you’d like,” he offered.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Really? Gosh, that would be great, thanks!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So, is this the kind of thing you did before you, uhhh- landed here?” Kaidan was one of the few crew members who knew the truth - he’d been there when it all happened, after all.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She nodded. “Software engineer. Is that- is that still a thing now?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kaidan shrugged. “I’m sure they do the same stuff, just call it by different names. There’s a huge market for new tech, as I’m sure you can imagine.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I bet.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The mood seemed to shift into something more serious. Amy found herself feeling fidgety.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You- do you-” he cleared his throat. “Is it true?” he asked quietly. “That you know the future?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She stared at him, wide-eyed, not sure what to say. On one hand, neither Jane nor Anderson had told her </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> to talk about it with other people… but on the other hand, she hadn’t been given permission either.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>This was Kaidan asking. There was a chance he might die on Virmire - though she’d do all she could to prevent either him or Ashley from perishing - but she knew how he’d react to Shepard in the future. And really, her loyalty was meant to be to Jane first, right?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Buuuut… maybe if she </span>
  <em>
    <span>talked</span>
  </em>
  <span> to him, explained stuff to him, he’d be more understanding of the circumstances Jane would find herself in, in the future.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She swallowed. “Kinda?” she squeaked out.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He nodded. “Do you know about what happens to,”  he kept his voice low, but she could hear the curiosity in it, “umm, me?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“A little bit. Yeah.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh.” He seemed unsure as to how to proceed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Amy debated over what to tell him. Talking to him about his possible death was out of the question. And she didn’t know what would happen to his Spectre status if both he and Ashley survived Virmire. Finally, she settled on being vague - it seemed the best option.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Look,” she cleared her throat. “I could tell you, but the thing is… I don’t know how much of it is going to happen y’know? Too many possibilities. And… and if things change, which they will, it’ll affect other events, right? So I don’t think there’s any point in me telling you about your future, because the truth is even I don’t know if they’ll come to pass or not. So… if you’re worried… don’t be.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He looked relieved, his body relaxing into the chair. “Thanks,” he flashed her a brief smile. “I never thought much about the future, but,” he shrugged. “We all heard Nihlus say you saved his life. That got me thinking about… you know.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah.” She understood. “There </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span> one thing I can tell you, though. There’ll come a time when- when </span>
  <em>
    <span>facts</span>
  </em>
  <span> collide with, uhh, with what your heart says.” He looked at her quizzically. “I’m not explaining this well,” she groaned. “Look, what I’m saying is- no matter what happens, </span>
  <em>
    <span>no matter what</span>
  </em>
  <span>, just- just trust Shepard, okay?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kaidan looked slightly offended. “She’s my commanding officer - of course I trust her!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Not on Horizon two years from now you won’t,</span>
  </em>
  <span> she thought rather grumpily, </span>
  <em>
    <span>or on Mars.</span>
  </em>
  <span> She understood his skepticism, but if it could be avoided, why not? It would spare Shepard the emotional pain. “Look, I’m just saying. You have to trust Shepard, okay?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He nodded, still unconvinced.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Amy continued to tinker with the omni-tool, though her attention was no longer on it. There was too much awkward tension for her to feel comfortable, and no matter how much she wracked her brain she couldn’t think of anything to say. Gods, she needed to get out of here… but where? She was currently bunking down in the med. bay and no matter how desperate she was, she wasn’t going to settle into one of those sleep pods.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m, uh. Gonna get some water,” she babbled and got to her feet, turning and walking away rapidly to the small counter that held the beverage dispenser. Pouring herself a cup of water, she debated over heading up the stairs to the CIC, but dismissed it. It made her very nervous to be around all those screens and flashing lights and systems she didn’t understand, plus everyone just… </span>
  <em>
    <span>stared</span>
  </em>
  <span> at her. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Instead, she made her way to the large, clunky elevator - which wasn’t as big as the game had shown it to be, though it was just as rickety - and soon found herself on the cargo deck. The hum of the engine here was loud, not deafening, but certainly enough for her to not ignore it. She wondered how Adams and the rest of the engineers managed to be around it on a daily basis. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The space was mostly dark, the only lights being over the Mako, and the few that illuminated the locker area, and the area that served as the armory. Amy wandered around, observing the Mako as best as she could. It looked very much like it had in the game, and she wondered if it drove the same way, chuckling softly at the sheer amount of chaos that had resulted each time she’d tried to drive it. Despite all her troubles with it, she thought the Mako was the best of the space vehicles. The Hammerhead had been awful-</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Someone cleared their throat. “You’re the survivor.” Startled, she spun around to find Engineer Adams looking at her. He didn’t look as old as the game had made him out to be - she thought he was in his early thirties, maybe? - though his close-cropped hair was flecked with strands of silver. He wasn’t smiling, but he didn’t look intimidating either, and there was more curiosity on his face than apprehension.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah,” she wiped her hand on her pants before offering it. “Amy Davis. I’d tell you more about myself, but-” she gave a weak chuckled accompanied by a what-can-you-do shrug.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Greg Adams,” he shook her hand, his grip firm but not overly tight. His palms were rough and calloused, which made sense, given his profession. “Chief Engineer.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh!” Somehow, she’d forgotten that. “So you’re the guy keeping the ship running, then?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That made him break out into a smile. “You could say that.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So, uhh,” she took a sip from her cup, more to wet her lips than anything. “Everyone says the Normandy isn’t a regular ship… is that true?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The Normandy’s unique, all right,” his face lights up and becomes more animated. “Best ship I’ve ever served on. Her drive core is experimental, true, but you have to understand, the Tantalus is twice the size of other drive cores, but they managed to fit her into something as compact as this-” Amy listened, quite fascinated, as he explained how the drive core generated mass concentrations that allowed the ship to move without heat-emitting thrusters, how it made the Normandy both quiet </span>
  <em>
    <span>and</span>
  </em>
  <span> fast, and also allowed her to run at FTL for longer periods before having to discharge the drive.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He was just in the middle of explaining the internal emission sink stealth system when Joker’s voice over the intercom made an announcement that had her freezing with shock and excitement.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We’ve arrived at the Citadel. Commencing docking procedures.”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Amy felt herself behaving like a kid in a candy shop for the hundredth time in the span of ten minutes. <em> Put that shit on lockdown, </em> she reminded herself, forcing her legs to move at a normal pace, and trying to keep her head from swinging in all directions. The Citadel was everything she’d thought it would be - and so much more. It was a stunning, beautifully ingenious piece of architecture, a genuine marvel of construction. Within it, it was easy to forget that it was a monolith of metal and materials of all kinds - there was a <em> goddamn blue sky </em> (fluffy clouds included!) and a whole lot more greenery than she’d expected. Sky cars zipped across at breakneck speeds above her, while around her milled the citizens of the galaxy. </p>
<p>She got her first glimpse of asari (<em> still don’t get why they’re considered to be the most attractive species, </em> she found herself thinking), volus ( <em> hmm, wonder if it’s a good idea to talk to Barla Von now that I have a bank account with money in it? </em> ), elcor and hanar ( <em> must not think of jellyfish...must not think of jellyfish…goddammit I’m thinking of jellyfish </em>). There was even a batarian, who glowered balefully at her curious appraisal.</p>
<p>Even though a part of her still believed she was dreaming, it was getting harder and harder to hang on to. Her feet ached in shoes that were half a size too small, the air had a strange, sharp tang that made her chest feel weirdly tingly as she breathed in and out, and there was just so much <em> sound </em> - casual conversations in different languages, various vendors plugging their wares in the open market nearby, the quiet thrum of the skycars zooming over her head. Non-humans - she didn’t know if it was racist to call them aliens - of all (familiar) shapes and sizes were walking around; some of them were clearly tourists, judging by the way they stopped every hundred feet to admire something, while others, clearly used to the Citadel, made their way about briskly, a few rolling their eyes at the visitors.</p>
<p>Gods, she hoped no one was rolling their eyes at <em> her </em>.</p>
<p>All of a sudden, she felt very small indeed. As a child, she’d looked out at the night sky with all its stars, and as an adult, had had moments where she’d pondered her place in the universe, but to be confronted with visual fact that she wasn’t alone in the galaxy, that there were so many others - it was a humbling thought. </p>
<p>There were so many marvels to see, she couldn’t keep track of them all. Instead, she focused on lining up her in-game knowledge of the Citadel with what she was seeing. It seemed for the most part the basic areas she’d be able to navigate with little trouble - the Presidium was one of them, with its Financial district and Citadel tower. She could see directions to Huerta Memorial Hospital, and when she thought about it - about <em> who </em> would find themselves in it - she shivered, pushing back the melancholic feelings that always arose when she thought of Thane.</p>
<p>From where she stood, she could make out the five arms of the Citadel, each one comprising a ward. Her redhead companion told her about the wards - Zakera, Kithoi (which had, Amy was told, a Sensory Gallery that allowed people to experience the senses as other species did - something she really, <em> really </em> wanted to check out at some point). There was also Tayseri ward, famous for the Dilinaga Concert Hall (though the Gareon Botanical Gardens there were also supposed to be beautiful), Bachjret ward (something pinged in Amy’s brain at Jane’s mention of the ward name… <em> wasn’t there someone who was supposed to be living there? Jacob, maybe? I’ll have to check it out </em>) and finally the Shalta ward. Amy learned that each ward had its residential areas as well as a marketplace and leisure zone.</p>
<p>“Though you’ll find everything you need at the Presidium,” Jane added. “There’s no need to go around exploring the wards, especially by yourself. You can always check with Avina-” she pointed at the holographic VI located nearby, “to get a list of stores nearby.” At the base where the wards met were the C-Sec offices, and Jane informed her that there was a marketplace in the region as well. “Several places of,” Jane coughed to cover up her discomfort, “entertainment as well, but whatever you do, do NOT go anywhere near Flux or Chora’s Den by yourself. EVER. Do you understand?”</p>
<p>“Yes,” she replied meekly.</p>
<p>Shepard directed Amy to the rapid transport terminal nearby, and soon the two women were seated in a skycar. Amy was amazed at how smooth the ride was, how quietly and quickly it moved. <em> What I’d give to study the programming on this thing </em>.</p>
<p>“Where are we going?” she asked the Commander.</p>
<p>“Zakera ward. A lot of Alliance officers have personal quarters there, for when we’re on shore leave.” Amy nodded, watching the scenery zoom by; all too soon they had landed, and made their way to the nearby elevator. Eleven floors up, and they exited, making their way down the corridor to a door with 1104 labeled on it. Jane tapped a code into the console by the entryway, and the door swung open.</p>
<p>Amy stepped in first. The apartment was small, and very utilitarian. There was a small kitchen with what she recognized as a microwave, fridge, and cooktop squeezed into it. Moving deeper into the apartment, the floorplan opened up to a living area, furnished with a simple couch, a coffee table, and a TV screen. Near the (small) balcony was a dining table with two chairs, and to her right was another door, which she assumed (correctly) lead to the bedroom.</p>
<p>“Well, this is it,” the redhead declared, making her way into the kitchen. “Make yourself at home.” Amy meandered across the room to the balcony - the view was - to her, anyway - stunning, with a wider view of the Citadel. She could hear Jane rummaging around, heard the Commander’s quietly muttered <em> shit </em>.</p>
<p>“Everything okay?” she asked.</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Jane waved her off. “I don’t have much in the way of food to offer, so why don’t you settle in and I’ll go grab us something from the cafe.”</p>
<p>“Umm, sure. If you have time, I’d really appreciate it if we could go to the market - I don’t have, umm, clothes...and  y’know, stuff.”</p>
<p>“Shit, I forgot about that. You know what, why don’t you come along. Kill two pyjaks with one bullet and all that.”</p>
<p>Zakera Ward was, for the most part, like how it had been in the game. There were places she recognized - like Saronis Applications, Sirta Foundation, that turian-run cafe, Dark Star Lounge. There were also a lot of places she <em> didn’t </em> recognize, stores that sold goods <em> other </em> than the armor, weapons, and upgrades that Shepard had been interested in. She walked into <em> Veritas Stellae </em>, a clothing store, and under the commander’s guidance she picked out what she’d need - both casual wear as well as clothing for other, more serious, occasions.</p>
<p>She was surprised to find that Jane was having fun helping her find things, and realized, with a pang, that Shepard only stopped at the stores she had in-game because she’d been hard-pressed for time - and cash. It would’ve been pricey to upgrade the Normandy, and while Cerberus had given Shepard the ship it seemed unlikely that they’d foot the bill for the upgrades. Especially when those upgrades were suggestions made by the <em> alien </em> crew.  </p>
<p><em> Hopefully, I can help bear some of that burden </em> . She still had no idea where the credit chit had come from - she could’ve sworn her pockets had been empty when she was sitting on the couch back home - and the apology in the note that accompanied it made even less sense. It had almost sounded as though the author of the note knew that she was going to be sent to the future, but that was impossible… then again, her arrival through the beacon should’ve been impossible yet here she was. And what did those initials refer to? <em> E.C </em>? Was it a person? An organization? It didn’t belong to the bank, that much she knew. Still, for all the mystery surrounding it, Amy was extremely grateful it existed. The amount in the account had nearly caused her to choke - as did the knowledge that it was all hers, apparently. If she was going to be stuck in a future where she most certainly did not belong, it helped to have the crutch of cash.</p>
<p>They picked up all the basic necessities she’d need, as well as a rucksack for all of Amy’s new stuff, before stopping by the cafe. Amy wasn’t surprised to learn that Jane was an adventurous sort - the redhead chose a very grey-looking Elcor dish, while she settled for a plain, old-fashioned steak and vegetables. It didn’t quite taste like steak, and she tried not to think of what it was made from. Or made of. It definitely wasn’t the kind she was used to, and a pang of sadness flooded into her as she pondered if the dish from her memories even existed.</p>
<p>“You okay?” Shepard asked, brows furrowed in concern. “Is there something wrong with your food?”</p>
<p>She forced herself to smile. “No, it’s fine. Just, ahh, finding all of this-” she used her fork to gesture to her surroundings, “a bit intimidating.”</p>
<p>Jane’s frown eased. “You’ll get used to it,” she reached out and patted her hand. “I know I was quite awestruck when I first visited the Citadel. It’s quite the sight, isn’t it?”</p>
<p>“Yeah. It’s amazing.” <em> I wonder if there are structural plans for this place? Maybe that salarian who’s interested in the Keepers might know some more… if we learn more about the Citadel, we could find a way to get control of it instead of having the Reapers take it. </em> She said nothing of her thoughts, not wanting to risk being overheard - it was against the law to interfere with the keepers, after all.</p>
<p>Lunch over, the two women returned to the apartment. Shepard freshened up, changing into her uniform and pulling her hair back into a ponytail before leaving to meet Captain Anderson.</p>
<p>Amy decided to take her first proper shower in this new universe. The bathroom was very basic, but the showerhead was miles better than the one she had back home. She relished the feel of hot water hitting her skin - and though she’d have liked to stay there longer, she didn’t want to take advantage of Jane’s hospitality, and run up the water bill. Wrapping a towel around her damp hair she settled onto the couch, debating over how to occupy herself - watching TV, or browsing the extranet.</p>
<p>The extranet won.</p>
<p>She really wanted to know more about Shepard’s future crewmates. While there was the galactic equivalent of Facebook and Twitter and Instagram, neither Jane nor her current companions seemed to use them - which shouldn’t have come across as a surprise to her. What Amy found instead was basic information snippets about Jane, Kaidan, and Ashley’s service - and in the Commander's case, there were also news clippings about her achievements.</p>
<p>She moved on to Garrus. <em> Vakarian </em> brought up a lot of information about his father, Castis, but again, there wasn’t much other than the basic stuff about Garrus himself aside from his info log at C-Sec.</p>
<p>
  <em> I wonder if I’ll get flagged by C-Sec for my searches. </em>
</p>
<p>Berating herself for her stupidity in not encrypting her searches, she continued, making sure to cover her tracks as best as she could. Liara T’Soni had a <em> lot </em> of research papers, and Amy found herself downloading them to read later. Searching for Mordin Solus brought up many articles about the salarian, mostly with relation to his work on genetics and were of an academic nature. She knew that searching for his work with relation to the STG was a huge risk, and it was one she wasn’t willing to take given how little she knew of how the extranet worked. Wisely opting to instead read up more about his research work, she moved on to Tali. There was nothing about the quarian at all, which Amy hadn’t expected - though in hindsight she shouldn’t have been surprised, given how private the Flotilla was. Searching for Wrex lead her nowhere either - it became apparent to her that one had to have <em> connections </em> in order to encounter the krogan mercenary.</p>
<p>She didn’t bother searching for Miranda or Jack (though she did wonder if she’d have to type in “subject zero”, or “pragia”). It was too big a risk, and it would raise serious flags with Cerberus if she tried. Jacob seemed a safe bet, and she managed to dig up some information related to his time with the Alliance. She was surprised to find a snippet about his unit’s survival on Eden Prime - she’d forgotten that he’d been stationed at Eden Prime at the time of the geth attack. So, he was still part of the Alliance - for now - though she knew he’d leave after the geth hit the Citadel.</p>
<p>She ran through her mental checklist. <em> Shepard, Kaidan, Ashley, check. Garrus, Wrex, Tali, Liara, check. Let’s see, Mass Effect 2… leave Miranda and Jack for later. Should leave Kasumi for later, too. Mordin, check, Jacob, check, No point in searching for Grunt... </em>  She ran a quick search for Okeer, her disgust for the krogan warlord mounting as she read through news articles about the atrocities he’d committed. She made a mental note to keep an eye on Grunt - though he’d seemed… pleasant enough (for a krogan) there was no telling what kind of “programming” Okeer had tried to imprint into him. Information about Zaeed was sparse, the only interesting snippet being a small news blurb about him being admitted to a hospital with “severe injuries.” </p>
<p>
  <em> Who’s left. Umm, let’s see don’t think I’ll find anything about Legion, so no point there. Which leaves… </em>
</p>
<p>Thane.</p>
<p>Her fingers twitched as they hovered over the keypad.</p>
<p>Slowly, with careful deliberateness, she typed out the name. <em> Thane Krios. </em></p>
<p>Nothing.</p>
<p>She sighed out the breath she hadn’t even been aware she’d been holding. <em> Can’t be the galaxy’s most skilled assassin if everyone knows your name, </em> she thought wryly. </p>
<p>Later, she’d wonder what would’ve happened if she’d stopped the search there, with just Thane. But… she was curious. She couldn’t help it.</p>
<p><em> Search for: Irikah Krios </em>.</p>
<p>Articles related to the woman’s research; Amy downloaded some of the more prominent ones. There was a small news announcement about her death, but made no mention of her partner or her child.</p>
<p><em> Search for: Kolyat Krios </em>.</p>
<p>Nothing. She suspected Thane might have removed all traces of information related to his son - which, given his nature of work, was a smart decision.</p>
<p>She sighed, and abandoned her search, more than a little disappointed about the lack of information about Thane - she tried to remind herself, logically, that he would be a <em> bad </em> assassin if people knew his name, but…</p>
<p>She was alone, by herself, in an empty apartment, in a universe where he was no longer fictional, and she could admit to herself, that-</p>
<p>She was more than just a little bit in love with him.</p>
<p>Suddenly restless, she moved out to the balcony, watching the skycars go by.<em> Technically </em> , she couldn’t be in love with him, he was - up until very recently - just a fictional character. And a fictional character was very different from a real one, so… <em> I’m just in love with the idea of him, not- </em></p>
<p>Yeah, she couldn’t lie to herself.</p>
<p>She had a very soft spot for Garrus (<em> who wouldn’t, </em> she thought miserably to herself, <em> but no Shepard without Vakarian </em> ) and had thought it a pity that Tali wasn’t romanceable by Fem!Shep (though her romance with a male Shepard was <em> adorable </em>) but only one character had caught her attention like no one else.</p>
<p>That damned drell.</p>
<p>She didn’t even want to think about how much she’d wept when he died in ME3. She’d had to stop playing, it had been too raw. She had a fondness for most of the Normandy’s crew, but it had been Thane who had severely blurred the lines between <em> fictional character </em> and <em> holy hell what I’d give for him to be real </em>.</p>
<p>Which… was stupid, now that she really thought about it. He was an <em> assassin </em> . He <em> killed </em> people. He was cold, and aloof, and- there was all that “disconnect” stuff- he’d been a less than stellar partner in the past. <em> Also, he killed people for a living!! </em>  She shouldn’t have wanted him to be real-</p>
<p>
  <em> He’s also a widower, and has a child, and he was very much in love with Irikah, and you’re no Shepard, and- </em>
</p>
<p>She shut down that train of thought, hard. </p>
<p>Amy sighed again and went back into the apartment. <em>I’ll- I’ll figure out how to deal with him when we get to it.</em> <em>IF we get to it.  Still don’t know how things are going to end up, after all.</em> After all, there was the matter of Saren and Sovereign, then Shepard’s death, and the Cerberus-build SR2… she’d only been here less than a week and she was already certain that she was going to make a fool of herself around a person she hadn’t even met, and had no idea if she even would.</p>
<p>She smacked her forehead with her hand. <em> What the hell is wrong with me? </em> She turned the TV screen on - some kind of cooking show was taking place, two asaris were laughing together as they chopped up some very strange looking items - she assumed they were some kind of vegetable - and settled back on the couch, hoping that it would distract her.</p>
<p>It didn’t work. She couldn’t seem to get him out of her mind. </p>
<p><em> Dammit </em>.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span class="u">
    <strong>Thane</strong>
  </span>
</p>
<p>The meeting with the banker had gone well. He had a good amount of money secured for Kolyat,  enough that his son would have the freedom to choose how he lived his life. There was a great deal of relief in the knowledge that no matter what happened to him, his child would not find himself lacking.</p>
<p>Perhaps in death he would be a better father. He had few regrets in his life, but his biggest by far was how he had not been there for Kolyat. He sighed. It was too late for him to mend his relationship with his son. Kolyat despised him, and it wasn’t without good reason.</p>
<p>As he made his way back to his hotel room, his omnitool pinged. Intrigued, he pulled up the notice; as soon he had read it every inch of him, every nerve, was on high alert.</p>
<p>Someone was searching for him.</p>
<p>That, in itself, wouldn’t have been much cause for alarm. Though there weren’t many who knew his name - usually only those who had need of his services - there had never been such a blatantly direct attempt to search for him.</p>
<p>But whoever this person was - they’d searched for his wife… <em> and his son </em>.</p>
<p>His son. This unknown person knew that he had a son, and that instantly made them a threat.</p>
<p>Whoever this mysterious stranger was, they had covered their tracks - but not well enough. It didn’t take Thane much time to decrypt the logs, and soon the tracer was running it’s search while he checked his weapons. He would not need his sniper rifle, but he intended to carry his Pinnacle X pistol with him. It was small and easily hidden, and the silencer attachment made it one of the quietest weapons he’d ever owned. The laptop pinged, indicating the task was complete.</p>
<p>Zakera Ward Residences, apartment 1104.</p>
<p>Thane donned his gloves, pulling his jacket on as he left his room. Someone was searching for him. It would be rude to not show up. </p>
<p>The wards followed the same day-night cycle that the Presidium did, but the lack of darkness - and the cover it provided -  wasn’t an issue for him. He was very well acquainted with the duct system of the Citadel, having used it to complete his missions in the past. It was child’s play - for him - to navigate through the shafts, and soon he found himself flat on his stomach observing the lone occupant of the flat through one of the vent openings.</p>
<p>The apartment had been registered to a Commander Jane Shepard, and through his research he knew that the woman in the room below him wasn’t the Commander. For starters, the Commander had distinct red hair, and this mystery woman most certainly did not.</p>
<p>She moved to the kitchen, and Thane followed her. She opened the fridge, looked through the contents, and pulled out a carton, taking it over to the microwave - which seemed to puzzle her, judging by how she was just staring at it, head tilted to the side.</p>
<p><em> This was the woman who’d searched for my son </em> ? This-this- <em> fragile </em> woman, apparently baffled by a simple <em> microwave </em>? Something was not adding up.</p>
<p>He landed on his feet silently, his eyes never leaving his target. She hadn’t heard him. He didn't expect her to. Three steps in her direction and he’d spun her around with his arm lodged firmly against her throat, her body pinned to the wall behind her.</p>
<p>“You were searching for Thane Krios. Why?” he growled at her.</p>
<p>She struggled against him, to no avail. Given her especially weak attempts to free herself, Thane knew she didn’t have much - if any - combat experience. He loosened his grip on her throat just enough to let her speak.</p>
<p>“I didn’t think you’d actually be here, Thane,” she gasped out. It was the wrong thing to say, and she seemed to realize it when he increased the pressure he applied.</p>
<p>“Try again,” he remarked coolly when he decided she’d had enough.</p>
<p>“For fuck’s sake,” she wheezed, trying in vain to pull his hand away from her neck, “I didn’t mean any harm! I swear to- to Arashu I’m not a threat. Just let me go, and I’ll tell you everything.”</p>
<p>He quirked a brow at her choice of deity. The ancient Drell pantheon wasn’t known to many outside of his kind - even among his own people many opted to instead worship the Hanar Enkindlers. Yet she not only knew of them, but also knew that he worshipped them. How?</p>
<p>He looked down at her. Grey eyes stared back at him, wide and wary, and though he could see fear within their depths, he saw a great deal more curiosity there. Her cheeks and her nose were red, drawing his attention to tiny little brown flecks scattered across her skin, that he'd heard humans refer to as freckles.</p>
<p>He could hear the distant, calming sound of waves lapping at a shore, and had the strangest urge to reach out and touch those freckles, to count how many there were.</p>
<p>She had not attacked him; she’d tried to break free, but she could have easily attempted to punch him in the chest or groin - though it would have been futile - but she had not. Why? If she knew who he was, she must know <em> what </em> he was, so why was she not acting in self-preservation? Why had she been searching for him in the first place? How did she know of his son? Thane kept looking at her. He could detect no guile on her face. His eyes narrowed in consideration. Either she truly was innocent as she claimed, or she was an exceptionally good actress.</p>
<p>He wasn’t convinced about her not being a threat - not entirely - and he reached into his pocket, drawing out a pair of cuffs. In a quick, fluid motion he spun her around, when he noticed something distinctly odd. Or rather, it was the <em> lack </em> of something that had him on edge once more.</p>
<p>She wasn’t wearing a translator. How had she been able to understand him without one? There were no microchip brain-implanted translators - those had been phased out decades ago, given how dangerous they were. </p>
<p>So how was she not only able to understand him - <em> but respond in his own language </em>?</p>
<p>Adding it to his mental list of things to confront her with, he pulled her arms towards him, pinning her hands behind her back and cuffing them together. Satisfied that she wasn’t going to be able to free herself - not even if she were an experienced mercenary - he left her go.</p>
<p>She was coughing, still struggling to even out her breathing. Her act - he was certain it was an act - did nothing to convince him about her supposed innocence. Grabbing her forearm, he walked her to the couch, unceremoniously pushing her onto it.</p>
<p>“Talk,” he ordered.</p>
<p>She stared wide-eyed at him, as though in disbelief about his existence. He leaned in close till his mouth was flush with her ear. “If you do not talk, I will be forced to take measures to ensure that you do.” She trembled as he pulled away. He continued to stare at her impassively, taking measure of her. </p>
<p>Human female, unfamiliar with combat. Of that, he was certain. She lacked the musculature required for wielding a weapon, let alone hand-to-hand, and he’d detected no biotic amp implant. She had hair the color of honeyed sunshine, and her eyes seemed to be more silver than grey. Her skin spoke of a life spent under the sun, glazed and golden as it was. She was the average height for a human, though her language skills were clearly not the norm for her species.</p>
<p>She shifted under his gaze, breaking away to stare at the floor instead. He could hear the rapid <em> thud thud thud </em> of her heart, could see the way she held herself, tense, but not shrinking into herself, as she would have been were she afraid. There was none of the sharp scent associated with fear, either. She was nervous, yes. Anxious, yes. But scared? Strangely, no. Despite her knowledge of him, despite the fact he’d just attacked her, despite the fact that she was bound and entirely at his mercy and that he had just threatened her, <em> she wasn’t afraid </em>.</p>
<p>Yet another puzzle. </p>
<p>Her gaze darted all around the room, at the balcony doors, which were firmly sealed, at the TV, which was running some inane show about tourist destinations, everywhere except for him. She tried to find a more comfortable position, hissing when her movements caused her bound arms to stretch painfully. Thane grew tired of her delaying tactics. He could not tell when Shepard would return to the apartment, and he did not want to kill this woman without getting the information he needed. If she knew of Kolyat, how many others did? How had they learned of his son’s existence? Was she connected to the assassin who had killed Irikah? Had she targeted Kolyat in retaliation for Stiv’s death?</p>
<p>He stood in front of her seated form, gripped her hair at its roots to tilt her face to his, ignoring how soft the strands were. “I know you can understand me,” his voice was low and grim. “There’s little use in hiding behind your lack of a translator. Talk, or else-” he tugged at her scalp, impassive at the small cry of pain she let out. If she was wise, she would heed his warning.</p>
<p>She did. Trembling, she licked her lips before she spoke, the words high-pitched and rapid. “I’m sorry, I really am- I- I just- I didn’t expect you to actually be on the Citadel... I’m getting used to the fact that you’re actually here… holy shit, you’re <em> real </em> , I mean I knew you were but I didn’t think I’d <em> see </em> you and you’re <em> here </em> like you’re in <em> front of me </em>… I didn’t know you would be, I thought you were in Illium though I guess you will be in the future just not now- I’m sorry I don’t mean any harm I swear I was just curious-”</p>
<p>He cut short her rambling. It offered none of the information he wanted. “Where did you think I would be? Why were you looking for me? How do you know about my son?”</p>
<p>“I didn’t know where you’d be.” A lie, he could tell by the way her eyes darted to the side. But no matter, he’d get the truth out of her one way or another. “And- okay, look. I’m- I’m going to have to ask you to keep an open mind, okay? Just- just hear me out.” She told him her name, Amy Davis. Told him about his meeting with Commander Shepard in the future, how they would meet as he was hunting down a target. That he would join up with the Commander to eliminate the threat of Collectors, in a mission that had slim chances of survival. She spoke to him about his son, about how he would see Kolyat again, how he would have a chance to reconnect with him.</p>
<p>“You’re wondering how I know this, I guess,” she continued, her eyes never leaving his. “The truth is, I’m- I’m not from- from here. I’m from- a different timeline, I guess? My universe, my time… we are centuries behind this timeline, and… back where I’m from, Commander Shepard’s story is- well, it’s the plot of a video game, if I’m being honest. But-” she seemed to stumble over the words, “-but everything that’s happened with her so far <em> here </em> has been like in the game. So I guess… it’s like… I know what’s going to happen? A little bit, at least? And- and I swear I only searched for you and the others because I was curious, I’d never want to hurt you or- or Kolyat, I swear.”</p>
<p>He let go of her hair, keeping his face carefully blank. Her story was insane… almost pitifully so. And yet- why would anyone go to the trouble of creating a story so fantastical?</p>
<p>Besides - <em> she didn’t have a translator </em> . He’d never encountered anyone, of <em> any </em> species, that could communicate without the use of one. Maybe there <em> was </em> something to her tale...</p>
<p>“Do you expect me to believe something as far-fetched as that?”</p>
<p>She looked at him pleadingly. “I know it sounds crazy, I know. Hell if I was in your position, I’d think the same… but I swear it’s true, every word of it.!”</p>
<p>“Prove it,” he said softly.</p>
<p>“What?” </p>
<p>“If this story of yours is your excuse, I require proof as to its authenticity.”</p>
<p>“I- I don’t-” she shrugged her shoulders helplessly, a crease between her brows. “How do you want me to prove it to you? I can’t offer you proof of things that haven’t happened yet.”</p>
<p>“You say you know the future? Tell me of mine.”</p>
<p>She frowned, tilting her head to the side as though baffled by the question. He met her gaze steadily, patiently, aware of the way she held herself - straight as a pole - and he could detect no cunning in her body language. He knew the moment she understood what he <em> truly </em> meant; he could see it in her widened, distraught eyes. She shook her head and turned her face away. He moved into her line of sight.</p>
<p>“Tell me.”</p>
<p>Still she refused to speak. He could see she knew the truth of his disease, just as he could see the knowledge troubled her greatly. She seemed- it was as though she feared that the mere act of speaking of his ailment would make it reality.</p>
<p>Thane couldn’t help but wonder <em> why </em>. And though it sounded an impossible tale, he was slowly beginning to believe her. </p>
<p>Sharp ears pricked up the sound of footsteps in the hallway. Someone was coming, headed their way. <em> Damn </em>. He wanted more time with her. He had so many questions to ask her. It was no matter. He’d find her alone another day, another time, and satisfy his curiosity.</p>
<p>“I think you speak the truth, Amy,” he kept his gaze on hers as he reached behind her back to undo the cuffs. “You are no threat to me. I must ask that you refrain from any mention of my son, both online and offline.” The <em> or else </em> hung clearly in the air.</p>
<p>She nodded.</p>
<p>“Satisfy my curiosity in this, if you will. You could understand me. How?”</p>
<p>She shrugged. “I don’t fully understand it myself. The doctor on the Normandy said that parts of my brain were, uhhh - what was the word she used? Activated? She said the speech and language areas were larger, and very active. They think that’s why I don’t need one, my brain collects the sounds of various languages and collates them much faster, and more efficiently, than everyone else.”</p>
<p>“Interesting.” He made his way to the balcony, surprised when Amy followed behind. Stepping up on the railing, he glanced down at her, taking in her sharp intake of breath, the way her hands were hovering in the air as though she were scared he was going to fall. “A word of warning, Amy Davis.” He reached up to the duct above him, and lifted himself onto it. “Be careful of what you search for. You might just find it.”</p>
<p>Amy was looking at him, her arms crossed, her chin raised defiantly. It made him want to chuckle - she looked like a pouting child. He half expected her to stamp her foot, but instead, she spoke, her voice surprisingly quiet and level. “I’d like to think I know what I’m doing.”</p>
<p>He laughed softly. “Is that so? In that case, may Amonkira guide you on your path.”</p>
<p>He was in the vents again, almost out of range, but he heard her faint reply. “May Arashu keep you safe, Thane Krios.”</p>
<p>He stilled in surprise. It had been genuine, the invocation. He had just assaulted and threatened her, and she was hoping for his safety? Who was this woman, who would pray for an assassin, and why?</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 8</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Amy was distracted all evening, even though she tried to pay attention to Shepard. The Commander was talking about her meeting with Anderson, something about Ambassador Udina, something else about the Council… but all Amy could think about was the drell.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Thane.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>To say she’d been caught off guard had been an understatement. The way he moved, swift, more silent than a shadow, entirely, absolutely unnoticed - then he’d struck so smoothly, not a motion wasted. One second she’d been trying to figure out how the damned microwave worked, and the next she’d been pinned to the wall, his forearm tight against her throat, his warmth seeping into her skin, the scent of rich leather and something </span>
  <em>
    <span>more</span>
  </em>
  <span>, something she now wholly associated with </span>
  <em>
    <span>Thane</span>
  </em>
  <span> filling her nose...</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was </span>
  <em>
    <span>quite</span>
  </em>
  <span> shameful just how turned on she was getting by the memory.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And then she’d looked into his eyes, and she was lost. Hopelessly, absolutely, irrevocably lost. If she’d thought herself in love with a fictional character… well, now she knew for certain that she was equally in love with his reality-based counterpart.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He was also </span>
  <em>
    <span>incredibly</span>
  </em>
  <span> out of her league.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Amy? Amy!” Jane snapped her fingers in front of her face, bringing Amy’s attention back to her. “What are you thinking about?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She flushed. “Nothing, I’m sorry- I’m just a little, uhhh, overwhelmed, I guess. What were you saying?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I asked what you thought of our chances with the Council tomorrow. Udina managed to get a meeting with them to discuss Saren’s actions. We’re waiting on C-Sec’s report.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“They’re not going to believe you, the C-Sec report won’t have any proof in it, and Saren’s going to try and rile you up to prove you’re unworthy of Spectre status,” she replied.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Dammit!” Shepard began to pace, her agitation clearly showing in the way her shoulders were set stiff. “We can’t bring you in, and Nihlus is still out. And no proof from the C-Sec investigation… how the fuck are we going to prove it’s him?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So, Saren used to work with the Shadow Broker, but lately he’s done some stuff to piss the Shadow Broker off. His agent, Barla Von in the financial district is an agent of the Shadow Broker - if you talk to him, he’ll give you some information about someone who does have proof.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jane narrowed her eyes. “You know who the person with this proof is, I’m guessing.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“...yeah.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Why not just </span>
  <em>
    <span>tell </span>
  </em>
  <span>me who it is?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Amy thought about it. What harm </span>
  <em>
    <span>would</span>
  </em>
  <span> it do if she mentioned Tali? As far as she remembered, talking to Garrus meant disposing off Saren’s men in several places - which would only be beneficial, right?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t mind telling you, exactly,” she said at last. “It’s just that, if you talk to Barla Von, and Garrus, you’ll encounter - and get rid of - several of Saren’s men along the way-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Just tell me who I’m searching for, will you?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Amy sighed. “A quarian by the name of Tali'Zorah, who is here at the Citadel as part of her pilgrimage. She’s managed to recover audio files implicating Saren from a geth trooper. Saren’s hunting for her; he wants to get rid of the proof she has. She’s planning to meet with Fist, who was an agent for the Shadow Broker but has now switched sides and works for Saren instead. He operates out of Chora’s Den, I think? There's a Dr. Michel, who runs a clinic in the lower wards, who will know more about the quarian - she treated some of Tali's injuries, if memory serves. You’ll also meet Garrus there. She’ll be threatened by several of Saren’s thugs, who’ll try to kill her to keep her quiet, so deal with that please, she’s a nice person. Oh, and there’s a krogan bounty hunter called Wrex who’s hunting for Fist, too, it might be worth joining forces with him and Garrus-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jane held up a hand. “I think I get it,” she sighed. “I’ll talk to this Garrus, and find out more about this Fist, and track that quarian down. In the meantime though, I’m going to hope to high heaven that Nihlus wakes up by tomorrow. The sooner we persuade the Council Saren’s dirty, the quicker we can go after him and stop him.” The redhead yawned. “I’m going to turn in. You sure you’re okay with the couch? The bed’s enough for the both of us, and I have no issues with sharing if you don’t.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, I’m- I’m fine on the couch,” Amy smiled. It didn’t feel right sharing a bed with the great Commander Shepard.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Suit yourself,” Shepard shrugged. “G’night.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Goodnight, Jane.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Amy wiggled her way under the sheets on the couch, and shut her eyes. Instantly, her mind flew to Thane. His gorgeous green scales, thinner than she’d thought they’d, but still so smooth, and skin-like. They shifted in the light, turning from a light fern green to a rich emerald to an even deeper pine, and they glinted ever-so-subtly, as though each scale had been polished with diamond dust.  His onyx eyes, deep and endless, with their hidden jade irises. The defined brow ridge, and the pattern on his forehead. The way the ruby ribbing on his neck gleamed so beautifully against his scales. The slow, calm way he blinked. And above all-</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His fucking </span>
  <em>
    <span>voice</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The soft rumble of the dual-tone nature of it had gone straight to her core. Even now, she had an instinctual urge to find him and just listen to him talk. Something about his voice was mesmerising; if the notion hadn’t been so silly she’d have thought he’d hypnotized her with his voice alone. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She clenched her thighs. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Come on, woman, what’s wrong with you?</span>
  </em>
  <span> Berating her foolish behavior, she rolled over onto her side. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Go to sleep</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She tried, she really did. But it was hard to get any rest when her brain kept conjuring up images of Thane. Thane, shirtless. Thane, talking dirty to her. Thane, touching her. Thane, with those fascinating fused fingers trailing down the length of her, down, down, down, and then-</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She sat up with a gasp. </span>
  <em>
    <span>God, what is WRONG with me!</span>
  </em>
  <span> She covered her face with her hands, ran her fingers through her hair, tried to even out her breathing. Nothing seemed to help her relax.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span> It was going to be a long night.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The next morning she was exhausted. She’d tossed and turned, her brain veering from Thane to Kai Leng until everything was tangled up into one long, never-ending nightmare of Leng using her hands to stab Thane. Even now she could see the bright orange of the omni-blade if she closed her eyes. At least Jane looked well rested; the woman certainly deserved a good night’s sleep for all the frustration that lay ahead with the Council meeting.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll be gone most of the day,” Jane reminded her. “You sure you’ll be okay by yourself? I can ask Ashley to keep you company, if you want.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll be fine,” Amy waved her off. “Kaidan sent me some of his old college books last night, I’m looking forward to reading them.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“If you’re sure,” the redhead sounded uncertain.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Jane, I promise I’ll be fine. I’m going to be reading all day, and I know I’m not supposed to wander around by myself. You have more important things to take care of than fuss over me,” she rolled her eyes. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Shepard sighed. “Fine. Oh, before I forget - I’ve arranged for a food delivery; they should be here in about an hour or so, so just open the door for them. Payment’s been taken care of, so don’t worry about that.” The Commander strapped her pistol into its holster. “And don’t let anyone in, got it?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Collect the food, don’t let anyone in,” she chuckled. “I think I can handle that.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The redhead took in a deep breath, then exhaled on a groan. “I can just </span>
  <em>
    <span>tell</span>
  </em>
  <span> today is going to suck,” she grumbled. “Well, might as well get it over and done with. See you later, Amy.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Good luck,” she called out, and then moments later she was alone.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>True to what she’d told Shepard, Amy curled up on the couch and began to read through the books Kaidan had lent her. She’d expected to find them confusing, but the mathematical fundamentals were the same now as they had been in her time, so she was able to grasp the subject matter without too much effort ,and she soon found herself getting thoroughly absorbed. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When the door chimed, she was in the middle of a very interesting chapter on nanocoding. The bell rang twice more before she was able to tear herself away from the page. “Coming!” she called out, placing the data pad on the coffee table and hurriedly making her way to the door. She had an apology ready on her lips as she opened it-</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>To find </span>
  <em>
    <span>Thane</span>
  </em>
  <span> standing in front of her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She gaped at him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He took pity on her. “I believe there was a food delivery scheduled?” He raised a hand, several bags hanging from his grip.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Amy finally found her voice. “I- that is, Jane- I mean-” she cleared her throat. “You don’t deliver, Thane. What the hell are you doing here? What happened to the actual delivery guy?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He flashed her a quick smile - and even as short as it was, it still stunned her. “He is fine. May I come in?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Now</span>
  </em>
  <span> you ask permission?” she muttered, but stood aside to let him in.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He set the bags on the kitchen counter, and moved to the living room. Amy shut the door and followed behind, still taken aback by his presence, watching as he picked up her data pad and scrolled through the open book she’d been reading. “An interesting subject,” he glanced up at her, his face as unreadable as ever. “Though this seems to be a textbook, as opposed to casual reading.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“There’s a lot I don’t know about this world,” she explained stiffly. “I’m trying to teach myself.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“An admirable venture.” He flicked through her book collection.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Thane,” she found her spine and put it back in place, “not to be rude or anything, but why are you here?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He turned those dark eyes back to her. “I have been thinking,” he began. “I find myself intrigued by your confession. I wished to know more - and to apologize for my roughness last night.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Roughness last night</span>
  </em>
  <span> had her mind going down some </span>
  <em>
    <span>very</span>
  </em>
  <span> dirty paths. Amy shook herself mentally.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You don’t have anything to apologize for. I can see how what I did could’ve come across as a threat. You were trying to protect Kolyat, I get it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Do you?” he stated softly, taking a step towards her. She took one step backwards. He stopped, and stared at her appraisingly for several seconds. “I believe you do.” He took another step towards her, and she took another one away from him. “Why is it that you understand, Amy Davis?” He pinned her to where she stood with the force of his gaze.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Because,” she whispered, unable to break free of his eyes, “I would imagine that an assassin has many enemies.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He looked her over, as though searching for something; and when he turned away, she was left feeling as though she’d been measured but had been found wanting. The thought both infuriated and saddened her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What do you want to know?” she asked, her tone gruff.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How did you get here? This timeline you came from, what was it like? What do you know about the reapers?” He had a barrage of questions for her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Whoa,” she sat down on the couch. “One at a time, okay?” She eyed him thoughtfully. “Actually, scratch that. How about a deal?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He sat on one of the dining chairs. “What kind of deal?” he asked, clearly amused.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m stuck here.” At his raised brows, she clarified. “I’ve been ordered to stay here, and I’m not supposed to go around sightseeing without someone accompanying me. Being so cooped up, I’m sure you can understand, is </span>
  <em>
    <span>very</span>
  </em>
  <span> boring - despite the abundance of reading material I have. I also know in a few months the Citadel is going to be damaged -possibly? probably? - and I want to look around and explore while I can. So, here’s my offer. You take me around, and in return I’ll answer any question you have.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He chuckled. It immediately became one of her favorite sounds ever. “You forget I’m an assassin, Amy. In my line of work, I know of many ways to make my targets talk.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She shook her head. “You wouldn’t do that.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It would go against your personal code of conduct,” she explained. “You wouldn’t harm someone who’s innocent.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Is that so.” He rested the ankle of his left foot on his right knee, his head tilted slightly to the side as he observed her. “The knowledge you have would not equal my fee, however. Your deal would not benefit me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She rolled her eyes. “Come on, Thane. You expect me to believe that? You </span>
  <em>
    <span>came back</span>
  </em>
  <span>, under the guise of a delivery - how did you manage that, by the way? - and you just admitted you’re curious. I </span>
  <em>
    <span>know</span>
  </em>
  <span> you want to know more. It’s a fair offer. Look, to make the deal sweeter, I’ll even buy you lunch, how about that?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Thane quirked a brow. “How could you have even a credit to your name, if you’re not from here?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Some weird glitch in the matrix. Look,” she tapped out a few commands into her omni-tool, pulling up her bank details. “Shepard found a credit chit in my pocket; we don’t have those back home. Something about the account being activated at the same time I found myself in this timeline, on Eden Prime. I don’t know how credits work here, but apparently that’s a lot.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He glanced at the number, then back at her. “You’re not concerned I might try to take it from you?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She shrugged. “If you need money, tell me how much you want and I’ll transfer it to you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Thane’s usually stoic expression gave way to utter confoundment, a testament to how much she’d stunned him with her offer. “You would- you would just </span>
  <em>
    <span>give</span>
  </em>
  <span> me your money?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sure, why not? I have little use for this amount of credits; I’d rather use it to help my friends.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Amy.” He gave her such an intense look she found herself cowed. “You’re aware I’m an assassin, yes? You’re aware I </span>
  <em>
    <span>kill</span>
  </em>
  <span> people for money? Do you even know how </span>
  <em>
    <span>many</span>
  </em>
  <span> I’ve killed? Do you know how easy it would be for me to kill you this very moment? It’s a matter of concern that you seem unable to grasp just how </span>
  <em>
    <span>dangerous</span>
  </em>
  <span> I am.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She took in a deep breath. “I’m aware of what you do, Thane. And- and yeah, maybe I should be more concerned about it-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m relieved that you appear to comprehend-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“-but what you don’t seem to understand, is that you’re not a stranger to me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What?” He blinked at her with both sets of eyelids.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s true.” She gave him a level look. “You don’t know who I am, you don’t know anything about me, so you can’t understand why I feel the way about you that I do. But I </span>
  <em>
    <span>know</span>
  </em>
  <span> you. I know a great deal about you. I know your training, I know about Irikah, I- I know your past. I’ve seen your future. You’re not a stranger to me, Thane. To me, you’re a good man. A friend. And I’m sorry, but nothing will change that. Yes-” she cut him off when he made to protest, “Yes, I know I could be wrong. Maybe you’re an asshole. Maybe you </span>
  <em>
    <span>will</span>
  </em>
  <span> kill me for- I dunno, being a threat to you, for my money, hell, you might not even </span>
  <em>
    <span>need</span>
  </em>
  <span> a reason to kill me. But- but I don’t think I’m wrong about you. If you wanted me dead, I’d be dead already. If you really thought I was a threat, you’d have killed me last night. And if you </span>
  <em>
    <span>did</span>
  </em>
  <span> want to steal my money, you would’ve done so by now.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She stood up, and walked to the balcony door, staring out of the glass. “Look, I don’t know why or how I got here. And- and honestly, I’m trying hard not to think about it, because- because if I do, I know I’ll scare myself shitless. I don’t know a lot of things - I don’t even know how to heat up food in a goddamn microwave, for fuck’s sake. I’m an engineer who’s obsolete in this timeline, I’m supposed to be aboard the Normandy but I have no combat skills. If it wasn’t for what I know about Saren, Shepard would’ve probably left me to die on Eden Prime. I don’t know a lot, and I own even less, but what I </span>
  <em>
    <span>do</span>
  </em>
  <span> know is that- that of the people I know, and those I’m yet to meet, you’re one of the good ones.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There was a long silence, and Amy was afraid he’d left. But the next moment he was standing by her side, looking out at the same view she was.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“This is-” he sighed. “You understand how strange this is for me?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s no bed of roses, that’s for sure.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He chuckled, then sighed again. “I’ve never had anyone want to be my friend, Amy. In my line of work-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It felt like a rejection. She swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. “I understand.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Let me finish.” He gently chastised her. “Very few people would want to associate themselves with someone who does what I do, and those who </span>
  <em>
    <span>do</span>
  </em>
  <span> interact with me are usually in need of my services. To find someone who is wholly aware of the nature of my work, and is </span>
  <em>
    <span>accepting</span>
  </em>
  <span> of that knowledge - and who wishes to </span>
  <em>
    <span>continue</span>
  </em>
  <span> to associate with me despite that- it feels… odd.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Irikah did so once,” she quietly reminded him. “Is it so odd-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His eyes flashed, his tone sharp when he interrupted her. “You are not Irikah.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She winced, as though he’d slapped her. “No, I’m not.” She cleared her throat. “I think you should leave, Thane.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Amy-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I said, </span>
  <em>
    <span>leave</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” she repeated sharply, turning her back on him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There was silence for several heartbeats, then she heard the quiet step of his boots across the floor, and the sound of the door closing. Amy clenched her jaw, and swallowed hard, shutting her eyes and remaining where she stood, trying to stem the tears that threatened to overwhelm her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>I’m not going to cry. What am I going to cry for, anyway? That he hurt my feelings? He doesn’t even know me! And he’s right, I’m not Irikah. Why was I trying so hard to be his friend, anyway? I’m not that fucking desperate, right? I’m just- Jane’s there, and- and I’ll meet other people, and-</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She wiped away a stray tear angrily. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Fuck that. I’m-</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Alone.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>All alone.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Her jaw hurt with how tightly she kept it clenched, but she ignored the dull pain. She took her seat on the couch again. Opening her book, she continued from where she’d stopped.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It took her a very long time to regain her concentration.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Chapter 9</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The first thing Jane did when returned to the apartment that evening was to stride over and crush Amy in a giant hug. “We did it!” she crowed, eyes lit up with elation. “We tracked down the quarian and found the proof. Udina arranged an emergency council meeting, and Saren’s been stripped of his status!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s great!” Amy’s smile stretched across her cheeks as she returned Shepard’s embrace. “But,” she prompted with a wink, “I’m guessing there’s something else?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The redhead exhaled. “They’re making me Spectre,” she said, sounding as though she didn’t quite believe it. “They’ll be inducting me tomorrow.” She turned to Amy, her eyes shining. “Me, a Spectre. Can you imagine? The first human Spectre. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Me</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” She laughed. “I know you said I would, and I still can’t believe it. Even though it’s happened. I-” Jane shook her head. “There’s so much riding on me-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey.” Amy gripped the redhead’s shoulders. “Stop that. You’re going to be </span>
  <em>
    <span>great</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Trust me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Shepard nodded, a smile on her face.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So, will I get to watch the ceremony live?” she asked hopefully.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Of course. You’ll come with me in the morning, and Ashley will give you company so you won’t be alone.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>I’d rather have Thane.</span>
  </em>
  <span> She pushed the thought away.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Great!” she replied, trying to sound enthusiastic.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jane frowned. “Is there a problem? Do you not like Ashley?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, no, no I mean, I don’t even know Ashley enough to- I guess I’m just feeling awkward because I don’t know her-” she babbled.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’ll like her,” Jane promised. “She’s got two sisters, I believe.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Three,” she replied quietly. “Abby, Lynn, and Sarah. She’s the eldest.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And you say you don’t know her,” she chuckled, shaking her head.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Amy shrugged. “I know her enough to know she’s prickly and aggressive, and not easily trusting. How do you think she’s going to react to being forced into playing babysitter for someone who claims to know the future?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, that’s going to be interesting.” The redhead laughed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“For you, maybe, you’re not the one who has to deal with her,” she grumbled.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Cheer up, she’s not so bad.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I guess.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Alrighty, I’m gonna hit the sack. Tomorrow’s- well. Tomorrow’s going to be a hell of a day.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Despite her misgivings about hanging out with Ashley, Amy smiled. “Can’t wait, Commander.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The next morning flew by in a haze of flurried movement. The two women woke early, both unable to sleep well - for different reasons. Amy was still troubled over her interaction with Thane the previous day, and she couldn’t shake off the feeling that she’d made a huge fool of herself.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That was soon put away from her mind, however, when Jane was introducing her to Ashley.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ashley Williams looked </span>
  <em>
    <span>exactly</span>
  </em>
  <span> like her ME3 counterpart, right down to the shiny pink lipgloss. It was a little disconcerting to Amy, who tried hard not to stare. The Gunnery Chief had her hair pulled back in a neat bun, not a hair out of place, and wore meticulously pressed dress blues. She and Jane talked about Alliance-related matters for several minutes - leaving Amy feeling quite left out - and then Shepard left, having been called to her position in the podium for the ceremony.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Amy was left alone with Ashley, and the two women fell into an awkward silence. “Thanks for babysitting me,” she said at last, unable to stand the awkwardness.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, yeah, sure, it’s no problem,” Ashley grunted, then realizing what she’d said hurried to add, “not that I’m like, </span>
  <em>
    <span>babysitting</span>
  </em>
  <span> you or anything-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s okay,” she laughed. “I totally get it. I’m not a fan of having to have someone with me at all times either, but there’s no way I’m going to argue with Shepard.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That seemed to put the brown-eyed woman at ease. “That makes you smarter than a lot of people,” she joked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I heard about your team on Eden Prime. I’m sorry,” Amy offered.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“They were good people,” Ashley mused. “If it hadn’t been for Shepard-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She nodded. “Yeah.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How’d you end up on Eden Prime?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Amy cleared her throat. “It’s a, uhhh, long story.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re not going to sell me that crap about you being from ‘another timeline’ or whatever, are you?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Excuse me?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Look, I was stationed on Eden Prime, right? You never think </span>
  <em>
    <span>farmers</span>
  </em>
  <span> are going to get involved in a </span>
  <em>
    <span>smuggling ring</span>
  </em>
  <span>, but-” she shrugged. “I figure you must’ve been involved. Don’t get me wrong, it was still really brave of you to try and stop Saren, but I’m not buying the rumors.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Amy had no idea how to respond to that. “O-okay?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t understand why Shepard wants to have you onboard, but she’s my CO and I’m not going to question her,” Ashley stated. “But if there’s some kind of scam you’re trying to pull, you better believe that I’ll be the first one to press the trigger, you understand?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re very good at that,” she muttered, thinking about how the gunnery chief would attack Wrex on Virmire, even against Shepard’s orders.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I said,” Amy repeated firmly. “You’re very good at that. Pressing the trigger. Even when you’re not supposed to.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Just- ugh,” she huffed. “Nothing. I heard your warning, okay? Now can we just move on?” Amy steadfastly ignored Ashley for the duration of the ceremony, and the gunnery chief did the same. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Shepard’s induction into the Spectres was a touching affair, and Amy felt her chest swell with pride. This was </span>
  <em>
    <span>Commander Shepard</span>
  </em>
  <span>, a galactic legend, and the woman who would bring about the end of the reapers. This was the woman who truly exemplified what it meant to be a Spectre. There was no one more deserving of the honor than Jane Shepard was.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After the ceremony, Ashley dropped Amy off at the apartment. Amy hesitated for a moment before going in. “Look,” she said. “I get that you don’t trust me, and I understand you want to protect Shepard. I get it. I can promise you that I don’t mean Shepard any harm, but I don’t think you’re going to believe me. But given that we’re going to be on the same ship together, we need to at least try and get along. I’m willing to give you a chance if you’re willing to do the same.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She felt Ashley sizing her up. “Deal,” the brown-eyed woman replied, sticking her hand out. Amy smiled as she shook it. They parted ways in a better mood than they’d been at the start of the day, and Amy set about pottering around the kitchen, putting together a meal as she waited for Shepard to return.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Her omnitool pinged. She opened up the message. It was from Shepard. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Going for drinks with the crew. You interested?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Getting out of this apartment that was beginning to feel a little like a prison? Yes, please!</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Hell yes. Where are you?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Flux. Hang tight, I’ll send someone to get you.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>I know where it is, can’t I just meet you there?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>I said hang tight.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hissing in frustration, Amy dropped the matter. She knew Jane was only being protective, but it was very chafing being so restricted. She used the time to change into something more appropriate for the setting - jeans, a shirt, and a nice leather jacket that she’d admittedly splurged on because it reminded her of-</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Don’t think about him</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She paced restlessly around the apartment as she waited for whoever Jane sent to pick her up. When the bell rang, she rushed to the door, sliding her newly printed ID card and credit chit into a hidden pocket in her jacket. She opened the door and found herself staring, </span>
  <em>
    <span>once again</span>
  </em>
  <span>, at Thane.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>What. The. Fuck.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She found her voice. “What’s your excuse this time?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I believe you were in need of an escort-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And I believe </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span> weren’t the person sent by Shepard. Where are they?” she poked her head out of the doorway and looked around.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Thane smiled. “He seemed to be rather preoccupied with the attention an asari was giving him, so I offered to come here instead.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And he just </span>
  <em>
    <span>let</span>
  </em>
  <span> you? That seems unlikely. If Shepard finds out, she’ll have their head.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I may have also offered to buy him several rounds,” the drell admitted.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Amy narrowed her eyes. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Why</span>
  </em>
  <span>?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He stepped in, forcing her back to the wall. “I’m still curious.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Christ. You’re actually serious.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I am.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Look, I don’t know what kind of game you’re playing, but you need to leave.” She opened up her omnitool and began typing a message to Jane. “I need to inform Shepard that her escort was bribed-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Thane wrapped his hand around her wrist, stilling her movement. “Wait.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She tried to ignore the heat of him, the way it felt </span>
  <em>
    <span>so right</span>
  </em>
  <span> to have his touch on her, the way her stomach fluttered. “What do you want, Thane?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You did not give me a chance to explain myself, yesterday.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I think you got your point across well enough. You’re an assassin. You kill people. I should be scared of you. You don’t need friends. I got it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That wasn’t what- Amy.” </span>
  <em>
    <span>His voice.</span>
  </em>
  <span> How the </span>
  <em>
    <span>fuck</span>
  </em>
  <span> did it manage to make her so weak? “I’m not used to- I have never met someone who was so entirely accepting of me. It caught me off guard. If it’s still available - I’d like to be your friend. If you would let me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She stared up at him, unable to believe her ears. “Really?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“If you will have me, yes.” He looked right at her, every angle of his body screaming sincerity to her. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Her heart began to beat faster. She couldn’t help it. He was here, and- even though he’d never love her - </span>
  <em>
    <span>stop that don’t go down that path what’s wrong with you </span>
  </em>
  <span>- he wanted to be her friend! “Of course.” Was there any other option, really? There was no way she was going to turn down the opportunity to spend time with Thane. She smiled up at him. “I’d love for us to be friends.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He gave her a small smile in return. “Then, as your friend - can I accompany you to Flux? I believe you have someone waiting for you there.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You know,” she shut the door and locked it, “I can’t think of anyone else I’d rather go with.” It was the truth. He asked how her reading was progressing as they made their way to the skycab stand, continuing their conversation as they made their way towards Shepard.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Flux was no Purgatory, nor was it like Dark Star Lounge (or what she could remember of the two from the game). It was vibrant and loud; her bones vibrated with the bass. The music grew louder when she entered the club, the bouncers at the door giving her - and her unusual companion - a curious look. One wall of the club was made entirely out of glass and offered a view of the Presidium. There was a bar at the far corner, with tables and couches scattered through the floor. The dance floor was on the mid-level, the space packed with hundreds of bodies moving and sliding and grinding. There were slot machines on the first floor, a privacy panel keeping it mostly hidden away from the occupants of the bar. The air was filled with the scent of alcohol and something else that she thought could be the galactic equivalent of cigarettes, maybe? There were people hidden away in dark corners involved in- in what exactly she wasn’t sure, and she wasn’t exactly eager to find out.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“This place is amazing!” she exclaimed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Thane had to bend close to her ear to get her to hear him. “Do you not have these where you’re from?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We do,” she replied. “It’s been a while since I’ve been to one, though.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He expertly guided her through the crowd and straight to where Jane was. The Commander was seated on a couch, surrounded by familiar faces. Amy’s heart sank into her stomach as she recognized Kaidan, Garrus, Ashley, Tali, and Wrex. They were all talking, at ease with each other, and then Jane said something that had everyone laughing, even Wrex. She stopped a distance from where they were, and Thane bumped into her back.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What’s wrong?” he asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I can’t- I can’t join them,” she said quietly. “I don’t- I don’t belong there.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Thane hummed but said nothing. Instead, he led her to the bar, catching the attention of the turian bartender, and placing an order. Moments later, two drinks - one green, and the other blue - were deposited in front of her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What’s this?” she asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Noverian rum,” he indicated the blue drink, “and akantha. Try the akantha, I think you’ll like it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s an asari liquor, right?” she examined the contents in the glass.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes,” he replied, watching her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She took in a deep breath. “Cheers.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He arched a brow but tapped his glass against hers, and then she downed the drink. It was smoky and sweet, leaving a pleasant warmth in its wake as it made its way down her throat. She sighed approvingly. “Another one, please.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Second drink down the hatch and her inhibitions were significantly lowered. So when she caught sight of Shepard and her crew again, she had no compulsions about weaving her way towards them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Shepard!” she exclaimed, throwing her hands into the air. “I’m here!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Where the fuck were you?” Jane questioned. “Where’s Frank?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Who’s Frank?” Amy dropped herself into an empty chair. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He was supposed to have picked you up?” The redhead leaned in close. “Amy, have you been drinking already?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m not drunk… and I don’t know where Frank is,” she said dismissively. “I came with Th-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Tannor Nuata,” a voice behind her interjected smoothly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How do you know Amy?” Shepard eyed him suspiciously, half-rising out of her seat.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Thane remained unruffled. She saw him surreptitiously move his hands to where they could be seen, subtly assuring their company that he was unarmed and posed no threat. Amy wanted to chuckle, but didn’t, instead patting him on the shoulder before sinking into a chair. “Ms. Davis has hired my services. As to her current state of inebriation, I admit to buying her a drink. She bought the others herself.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Fucking hell.” Jane winced as though she had a headache. “Why would you-” she narrowed her eyes at Amy, then sighed. “You and I are going to have a talk about stranger danger when you’re more sober, Davis.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What?” Amy huffed. “He’s not a stranger, he’s Tannor!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Shepard groaned. “I’m in no mood to deal with this.” She eyed him from head to toe, an action that had Amy bristling. When Jane’s gaze landed on her, she broke out into a smirk. “Tannor, why don’t you join us?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Certainly.” He sat next to Amy.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She stared at a very smug-looking Shepard. </span>
  <em>
    <span>What are you up to</span>
  </em>
  <span>, she mouthed, not fooled by the way Jane innocently raised her glass.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So what’ll you have, Davis?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m not picky, what’s everyone drinking?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Try this,” Jane held out her glass.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Amy took a sip, sputtering as the alcohol burned its way down her throat. “Holy shit!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Too strong for you?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s like straight up gasoline, Shepard, what the fuck!” She raised her hand to catch the attention of a nearby waitress. “Hi, um, could I get a round of firaz for everyone?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Jane raised her brows. “That’s some fancy stuff you’ve got a taste for, Davis. Didn’t peg you for the drinking kind.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What can I say, I aim to surprise.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“In more ways than one, apparently,” Garrus’ eyes held curiosity and speculation, and she had a feeling she was going to be interrogated by a turian in the near future.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh well. That’s a problem for future Amy.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The drinks arrived, and she raised her glass of bright silver liquid. “To Commander Shepard, the first human Spectre, and an all-round badass of the highest order!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Everyone whooped and cheered, and knocked back the Firaz… and Kaidan and Ashley immediately started coughing. The drink tingled her throat, but whatever Shepard had given her had dulled her nerves.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Fuckin’ hell, Amy,” Ashley sputtered. “You trying to kill us?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ah, come on Williams, you telling me you can’t hold your booze?” Jane snickered.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, it’s on Commander.” Ashley bought the next round of vodka.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Two more rounds - Kaidan, then Garrus - and Amy was drunk as a skunk. She found herself leaning heavily against Thane, enjoying the way he felt so… </span>
  <em>
    <span>solid</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So, Tannor,” Jane only barely slurred. To Amy’s surprise, the redhead had a fresh drink in hand. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Damn, Shepard can </span>
  </em>
  <b>
    <em>drink</em>
  </b>
  <em>
    <span>!</span>
  </em>
  <span> “How’d you meet Amy, anyway?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Y’don’t- y’don’t’ve to answer that-” she frowned at Shepard.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“As I mentioned earlier, Ms. Davis has hired my services,” Thane replied politely. </span>
  <em>
    <span>How is he not drunk</span>
  </em>
  <span>?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Are you an escort?” Shepard asked bluntly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Amy toppled out of her seat in surprise. “What? No!” indignation erupted from her in a squeak high enough to scratch glass.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What’d you hire him for, then?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ms. Davis had-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Amy,” she corrected, not so much climbing back onto her chair as pouring herself into it, gripping the armrest tightly in an attempt to remain upright.. She sighed and leaned against Thane again, letting herself enjoy the way he smelled of spice and leather and a metallic buzz that she thought could be his biotics.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Amy had, shall we say, </span>
  <em>
    <span>personal</span>
  </em>
  <span> motives behind my employment,” his eyes twinkled mischievously as they met hers.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She groaned, sinking her head into her hands as everyone around her laughed. “Oh, </span>
  <em>
    <span>come on</span>
  </em>
  <span>!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I bet you’d like to come,” Shepard waggled her brows suggestively.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Nooooooo stoppit.” Amy turned to hide her face in the depths of Thane’s jacket, which only made everyone else laugh harder at her. “You guys are </span>
  <em>
    <span>assholes</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” she muttered.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was early hours in the morning by the time they were done with their revelries, and all of them were </span>
  <em>
    <span>very</span>
  </em>
  <span> deep into the cups - well, </span>
  <em>
    <span>most</span>
  </em>
  <span> of them, Wrex was only tipsy. Kaidan had to be helped back to his quarters by Ashley, Garrus claimed he could make it back to his place by himself, and Thane was stuck getting both her and Jane back to the apartment.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“M’gonna kill Frank tomorrow,” Shepard muttered as she stumbled her way into the bedroom. “Disobeying direct orders-” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Amy rested with her back against the door, watching Thane, a wide, dopey grin taking up most of her face as she watched him head into the tiny kitchen and fill a glass of water. His gaze gave none of his thoughts away when he returned to her. “Drink this,” he ordered, pressing the tumbler into her hand.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She ignored it, crossing her arms instead. “So, I’ve hired you then have I, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Tannor Nuata</span>
  </em>
  <span>?” she teased.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He gently guided her fingers to wrap around the glass before leaning his shoulder against the kitchen entrance. “You did offer a deal,” he reminded her. “I take you around, and in return, you answer any questions I have.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I did offer that deal,” she grinned, a warm feeling in her chest.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And I’m taking it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Are you now.” She took a large drink from the cup.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m still curious.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Is that so.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Indeed.” He leaned in towards her, his cheek just an inch from hers, his mouth so close to her ear that she could feel his breath warm the shell of it. “I took you around, Amy. I believe you now have to answer my questions.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Her heart skittered, then began to thud in an arrhythmic way. “I do,” she breathed, turning her head towards him-</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Thane stepped away. She wasn’t prepared for the sudden emptiness in her chest, and a quiet, soft sound of distress slid from her lips. He gave no indication he’d heard it, instead gently steering her away from the door.  “Tomorrow,” he said calmly, guiding her to the couch with a hand on the small of her back.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She watched as he made his way to the door. “Thane?” she called out.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He looked at her over his shoulder.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Thanks.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He nodded, the briefest inclination of his head, and left. The green light on the lock turned red. Amy's chuckle was loud and fond.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Neither she nor Jane had given him the code.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Chapter 10</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“We leave tomorrow,” Jane’s announcement was brisk and matter-of-fact, at odds with the way her eyes slitted against the light that flooded into the apartment.</p>
<p>Amy groaned as she pushed herself off the couch into a sitting position. “I think I’m going to die.”</p>
<p>The redhead smirked. “Best get used to drinking like that, Davis. You’re part of the Alliance now.”</p>
<p>“So the Alliance is just a bunch of alcoholics with a death wish?” It came out as a low whine instead of the snarky proclamation she’d wanted it to be. Wincing at the sheer amount of light in the room, she glanced up at Jane who was standing and watching her with no small amount of amusement. “How the fuck are you so chipper?” she complained.</p>
<p>“I guess I’m just better at holding my alcohol. That, and,” Shepard raised a glass filled with a sinisterly thick, murky yellow liquid. “My secret hangover cure.”</p>
<p>Amy eyed the glass with a narrowed gaze, her nose wrinkling up at the smell. “That looks like shit, Jane.”</p>
<p>“Fine,” the redhead shrugged. “You want to suffer all day, be my-” Jane laughed as Amy desperately snatched the glass and downed its contents in a single gulp.</p>
<p>“What was <em> in </em> that?” she shuddered in disgust.</p>
<p>“Trust me, it’s best you don’t know.”</p>
<p>Her stomach rumbled a warning, and she rose, shuffling her way to the bathroom. “What’s your plan for the day?” she called out.</p>
<p>“Anderson wants to meet me.”</p>
<p>“Oh, right, I forgot. He’s going to turn over command of the Normandy to you.”</p>
<p>“What!!?” Jane’s reflection in the mirror made her jump.</p>
<p>She spat out the mouthful of toothpaste. “Yeah, sorry about that.”</p>
<p>“You’re not fucking with me, are you?”</p>
<p>“Have I fucked with you before?” </p>
<p>“But the <em> Normandy. </em> She’s- she’s a prototype, the best vessel in the Alliance Navy!”</p>
<p>“And now the Alliance is going to give command of the best vessel in their navy to their best soldier, and the first human Spectre,” she remarked in her best <em> isn’t-it-obvious </em> voice.</p>
<p>“I thought you were just kidding when you said I’d be in charge of the Normandy.”</p>
<p>“When did I say- oh.” Amy remembered. <em> You’ll be in charge of the Normandy, and you’ll decide her crew. </em> “Well, I wasn’t kidding.”</p>
<p>“You know,” Jane muttered, “I think I’m beginning to enjoy the idea of not knowing stuff <em> before </em> it happens.”</p>
<p>Amy shrugged. “As you wish. I’ll keep things to myself unless you ask, if that makes you feel better?”</p>
<p>Shepard exhaled, flashing her a rueful grin. “Nah, I’m just being whiny. I guess if I get command of the Normandy, I’m going to have to make sure that she’s stocked up and ready to fly, so that’ll take up most of my day.” She wrinkled her nose apologetically at Amy. “Which means I won’t be able to take you around. I’m so sorry.”</p>
<p>“That’s fine,” she brushed it off. “I’ll figure something out.”</p>
<p>“You could ask Tannor, you know,” Jane suggested slyly.</p>
<p>She instantly flushed. “I, ahhh,” she cleared her throat. “I’m pretty sure he’s busy today.” She began to play with the hem of her tshit, unable to keep from fidgeting under Shepard’s gaze.</p>
<p>“Have you asked him?”</p>
<p>“I don’t-” The doorbell buzzed. The moment of respite she’d been granted as Jane went to answer evaporated as another thought made her eyes widen. It couldn’t be, could it? <em> Please don’t be him, please don’t be him, please don’t be him… </em></p>
<p>Of course, luck wasn’t on her side. It usually never was. “Tannor,” she heard Jane exclaim. “How nice to see you. Are you here for Amy?”</p>
<p>“I wanted to see how the both of you were doing,” he was politely aloof.</p>
<p>“You didn’t have to check up on us, we’re grown ups here,” Oh, she knew Shepard was going to milk this for all it was worth.</p>
<p>“It would be rude of me to not follow up on the both of you, given that I was responsible for escorting you home last night.” Amy could hear footsteps - Shepard’s she thought, not Thane. Thane was too quiet for something as mundane as footsteps.</p>
<p>‘Please, come in. Take a seat. Would you like some coffee?”</p>
<p>“No, thank you.”</p>
<p><em> Can’t hide in here forever </em>. Pulling up her big girl panties - metaphorically of course, the very thought of Thane seeing her in granny panties made her want to shrivel up and escape existence - Amy made her way to the living area. </p>
<p>“Oh, good, you’re here. I wanted to talk with the two of you.” Shepard gestured to the couch, and Thane seated himself.</p>
<p>She cleared her throat. “What about?”</p>
<p>“Well, Tannor here said you hired him. I just wanted to know the details.”</p>
<p>Amy felt the back of her neck turn very hot. “Oh, umm. I, uhh, yeah, I hired, umm, Tannor to, uhh-”</p>
<p>“Commander Shepard.” Thane interjected. “The information I gave you last night was not entirely accurate.”</p>
<p>“Uh huh.” Jane crossed her arms. She held herself upright, looking every inch the Alliance marine and Spectre agent she was. Her gaze was implacable, and her tone warned that she wasn’t going to take any crap. “I guessed as much. I want the truth, and I want it now.”</p>
<p>She stared wide-eyed at Thane. He nodded slightly, giving her the permission she sought.</p>
<p>Sighing, she rubbed the back of her neck. “Alright, Jane. Here’s the truth. A couple days ago - when we first arrived at the Citadel, actually - I used my omnitool to, uhhh, search the extranet for some people.”</p>
<p>“People you knew I’d meet sometime in the future,” the redhead guessed correctly, and she nodded.</p>
<p>“Yeah. I was curious. And,” she coughed. “Well, one of the people I searched for was- was Thane here.” She gestured to the drell.</p>
<p>“I thought his name was Tannor?”</p>
<p>“Tannor Nuata is an alias of mine,” Thane explained.</p>
<p>Jane’s gaze turned sharper, more intense. “And what is it you do, that you’d need an alias?”</p>
<p>“Thane is, uhh-” she shifted uncomfortably, “he’s an- well, his work is rather mercenary in nature-”</p>
<p>“I am an assassin, Commander,” the drell's statement was direct and blunt.</p>
<p>Amy winced.</p>
<p>“An <em> assassin </em>?” Shepard’s hands uncrossed and fell to her side. Her fingers twitched ever so slightly, a motion that did not go unnoticed by Amy, who took a minute step closer to Thane’s side. “How the fuck did you two meet?” Jane’s voice was dangerously low.</p>
<p>“When Amy was- exploring, she conducted a search on someone- close to me. I was alarmed, and decided to investigate.” Thane’s voice was as calm as ever; he gave no reaction to the Commander’s aggressive tone. “My search led me here to this apartment, where I confronted her.”</p>
<p>Jane’s hand had moved to her pistol. “You confronted her, and you clearly must have decided she wasn’t a threat because she’s still alive. So why are you still here?”</p>
<p>“That was me, Jane.” Amy stepped between the redhead and the drell. “Look, like I said, I searched for him because you’d meet him in the future. And I know him, he’s a good person. I trust him. He had some questions for me, and I offered to answer them in exchange for him showing me around the Citadel.”</p>
<p>“You want to trust an assassin?” Shepard was incredulous. “You do know what they do for work, right?”</p>
<p>“He’s my <em> friend </em>.” she said firmly. “If he meant me any harm, Jane, I’d be dead already. Matter of fact, if he wanted us dead, we would be. He’s not going to hurt me.”</p>
<p>“Why <em> are </em> you here, Thane?” Shepard questioned harshly, shifting so she had a clear line of sight between herself and Thane. “It certainly can’t be playing guide and escort.”</p>
<p>He rose from the chair in a fluid, easy motion. “Amy told me of your assignment. You plan to hunt down a rogue Spectre, and stop a Reaper, I believe? It is a worthy mission. I’d like to offer my services.”</p>
<p>The redhead gave him an appraising look. It was several seconds before she spoke. “If Amy vouches for you, I suppose I can trust you. However,” here her look turned doubtful, “you do realize the Alliance rate for contractors is much lower than what I imagine your rates would be? And I can’t afford-”</p>
<p>“Payment is not required, Commander,” Thane replied. “This is a chance for me to make the galaxy a better place. It would be amiss of me not to take it.”</p>
<p>“Hmmm.” Jane eyed him speculatively, furrowed brow smoothing out as she reached a decision. “In that case, Thane-?”</p>
<p>“Thane Krios.”</p>
<p>“Welcome to the Normandy, Thane. It’ll be good to have you aboard.” The redhead checked her watch. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a meeting I’m running late for.”</p>
<p>Jane’s departure left Amy alone with Thane, an awkward silence hovering between them.</p>
<p>Amy was the first to break. “Why?” she asked. She hadn’t been expecting it. Thane wasn’t supposed to join the crew this early. What if it broke something in the future? She couldn’t live with herself if anything happened to him.</p>
<p>“I believe I’ve answered that.”</p>
<p>“No, really.”</p>
<p>“You mentioned I was going to meet Shepard in the future. Why not now?”</p>
<p>She thought it over. Why not now, indeed? <em> Maybe with Thane around, the chances of both Kaidan and Ashley surviving Virmire are higher </em> … <em> maybe there’s a way to persuade him to get that transplant he needs… </em> She shrugged. “I thought you might’ve had, uhhh, other contracts. Other offers.”</p>
<p>“I can always take up new contracts,” he replied in that calm fashion of his. “But this is a chance for me to do something good.”</p>
<p>“Right.” She shifted her weight from one foot to the other. “I could always pay you,” she spoke, making it sound more like a question than a statement. “For your help. So-”</p>
<p>He held up a hand. “Please, don’t. You insult me with the offer.”</p>
<p>“But- Thane, I know you’re saving up for Kolyat,” she said quietly.</p>
<p>“And I have. He will be well taken care of.”</p>
<p>“If you’re sure…” she frowned, still not entirely certain that his decision to volunteer his services was the right one.</p>
<p>“I am.”</p>
<p>She exhaled, some tension leaving her shoulders. Maybe things were looking up. She was too intimidated by the rest of Shepard’s companions, but she was less anxious about being around Thane - which shouldn’t make sense, given her feelings about him, but no one ever said emotions had any logic to them. “I know it’s- it’s probably a stupid thing to be concerned about,” she confessed, her voice little better than a whisper, “but I’m glad you’ll be on the Normandy. It’ll be nice to have a friend,” she felt her cheeks heat up slightly, but didn’t look away from him.</p>
<p>Thane gave her a smile so small it could only just qualify as one. “I agree.”</p>
<p>There was a brief silence before she remembered all that she had to do, which made her sigh. “I need to pack my stuff up. I guess I won’t be able to see the Citadel after all,” her voice sounded wistful even to her own ears.</p>
<p>“Come,” he placed a hand on the middle of her back, gently propelling her towards the door. “You can pack later. I said I would take you around, and I shall.”</p>
<p>Thane kept his word. He took her to the Sensory Gallery, and she got to experience the way other species processed their senses. When they finally left, she was shaking, the whole process having moved her in ways she couldn’t fully explain even to herself. It was- it was as though she’d experienced a kind of next step in human evolution; she’d felt, first hand, just how inferior some human senses were, and it had left her feeling- lesser in a way, yes, but it also made her yearn for what <em> could’ve </em> been, but was not.</p>
<p>“Evolution is a funny thing, isn’t it,” she mentioned to Thane as they made their way towards the Gareon Botanical Gardens. “Humans think - well,” she amended, “where - or is it <em> when? </em>   Time is so weird sometimes - anyway, in my time, humans consider themselves the pinnacle of evolution. Which, I mean, I guess on earth they kind of are? But when you take in the entire galaxy, and all its races, it’s humbling to learn that we’re not <em> really </em> all that great. We’re actually kind of mediocre,” she laughed.</p>
<p>“Evolution is a mechanism for adaptability,” the drell commented. “We gained our memory in order to adapt to a world with diminishing resources, where knowledge meant the difference between life and death. For humans, you evolved enough to survive the conditions of your home world. Once you were able to adapt, evolution slows until it is needed again.”</p>
<p>“Right,” Amy nodded, her attention on a nearby cafe. “Hey, you hungry? We could grab a bite before heading to the gardens, make a picnic out of it.”</p>
<p>“Why not?” They made their way to the counter, and she let Thane order for her - a spicy Drell dish called <em> sefa-de </em>, that looked like a meatball sandwich. The owner, an asari, was very enthusiastic to see them together - and when Amy checked their bag after they’d paid and left, she found two slices of what looked to be chocolate cake neatly packed with the rest of their order.</p>
<p>“We should go back and pay for this,” she told Thane, dismayed. </p>
<p>“It has been taken care of, don’t worry.”</p>
<p>“What do you mean?”</p>
<p>“I saw her pack the pastry,” he looked faintly amused at the way her eyes squinted in the direction of the cafe, “and I left her a sizeable tip in return.” </p>
<p>“How did you-” she glanced at the asari, then back at Thane. “I didn’t see anything!”</p>
<p>“You were distracted,” he took the bag from her, his grip as he tugged gentle but inexorable. “Shall we proceed? We’re almost there.”</p>
<p>The Botanical Gardens were gorgeous. There was flora from all across the galaxy, asari flowers, turian shrubs, elcor grasses and even plants that were found in Khar’Shan. Thane pointed out the aquatic flora native to the oceans of Kahje, and there were even a few cactus-like species that had been saved from Rakhana. She, in turn, spoke to him of the flowering species that came from Earth - the roses, the palm trees, the succulents, the regal-looking orchids and her personal favorite, the cheerful daisies.</p>
<p>They sat on stone benches by the water fountain, the scent of flowers thick in the air, as they ate their lunch. There were plenty of tourists meandering through, and she goaded him into playing a game of <em> guess-what-they-do </em> - except while hers were more comical (“ <em> he looks like he really loves cheese, but it gives him diarrhea every time he eats it! </em> ”) Thane’s observations were always accurate (“ <em> Asari, late three-hundreds. Recent injury to right leg, Tense shoulders indicate ongoing stressful situation, likely financial. Minimal combat experience. </em>”) It was slightly disconcerting, and she dropped it soon after he very clinically noted that even a small puncture in a volus’ suit would have them gasping for breath and dead within fifteen minutes if not attended to immediately. </p>
<p>Well, at least she knew how to incapacitate Barla Von in hand to hand combat?</p>
<p>They were on their way back to the apartment when Amy saw the store. <em> Not Yet Extinct </em>, no doubt a tongue-in-cheek attempt at humor. The tiny window display was stocked with yarn of all colors, arranged in a pleasing rainbow pattern. She tugged on Thane’s sleeve. “Thane. Look.”</p>
<p>He crinkled his brow in confusion. “Do you wish to go in?”</p>
<p>“I <em> have </em> to go in.” And she did.</p>
<p>The owner was human, a woman in her late fifties with salt-and-pepper hair and a kindly smile by the name of Fiona. “Can I help you, dearie?” she asked.</p>
<p>“Yes, I’d like to get some yarn, and some knitting needles please.”</p>
<p>“Interested in learning, are you?” the older woman inquired, her eyes lighting up. </p>
<p>“I know a little bit,” she replied, inclining her head modestly..</p>
<p>“Oh, how wonderful! It’s so rare to find someone so young with an interest in something so old-fashioned in this day and age, but like my mother always used to say, there’s nothing quite so therapeutic as knitting. Now, what can I get you, my dear?”</p>
<p>Amy placed an order so large it nearly caused Fiona’s eyes to bulge out. “Oh, and can I get one each of each size of the knitting needles?</p>
<p>“Certainly! I’ll have everything boxed up for you. Where would you like to have it delivered?”</p>
<p>“Could you please send it to the Normandy, at the Alliance docking bay 422? Make it out to Amy Davis, c/o Commander Jane Shepard, please.”</p>
<p>“Jane Shepard? She’s the new Spectre, isn’t she? She has a Star of Terra, you know. I watched the ceremony on TV. She kept that colony safe from those nasty slavers. Such a brave woman.”</p>
<p>“That she is.”</p>
<p>“You’ll be knitting for her, then?”</p>
<p>“That’s the plan.” Amy smiled.</p>
<p>“Well, I’ll be sure to include something extra for her.” The older woman smiled, wide and kind and proud.</p>
<p>“Oh, you don’t have to-” </p>
<p>Fiona brushed aside her objections. “Nonsense, I insist. It’s the least I can do. Just a small way to show my gratitude for her service.”</p>
<p>“In that case, thank you so much.” She paid for everything, and tucked the receipt into her pocket.</p>
<p>“I didn’t know you knew how to knit,” Thane remarked once they’d left the store.</p>
<p>“It’s one of the very few things I’d consider myself good at.”</p>
<p>Amy felt his sideways gaze. The silence was awkward for the few seconds before he spoke. “I don’t think you give yourself enough credit.” Thane’s tone made it clear he wasn’t talking about her craft skills.</p>
<p>“I’d say I give myself exactly the right amount of credit. I’m a realist, Thane. I know who I am, and what my situation is.” She lifted her shoulders and let them drop, the shrug exaggerated in a way that screamed <em> I’m-trying-to-be-casual-about-this-but-I’m-not </em> . “Maybe, <em> maybe </em> I’d find a place for myself in regular society if I studied hard enough, and even then I think I’d struggle because what exactly would I do?” Amy cleared her throat which had suddenly become clogged. “But I’m part of the Normandy now. And even if I had a chance to remove myself from all this Reaper business, I wouldn’t. It wouldn’t be right, not when I have something that might help. And given my current state, I don’t really have much to offer. No combat training. No flight skills, or navigational skills, or medical skills. All I have is what I know. I’m aware of that.”</p>
<p>Thane was silent. She kept sneaking peeks at him from the corner of her eye, but she couldn’t tell what he was thinking. Had she offended him? Driven into him, at last, just how useless she was? Was he realizing how much of a burden she would be? She turned her attention back to their surroundings, observing the many turian C-Sec officers, idly searching for familiar blue facial marks. There were none.</p>
<p>“You have a good heart,” he said at last. “And that is a valuable thing indeed.”</p>
<p>“Also <em> entirely useless </em> if I find myself in a fight,” she joked. “Besides, how do you know? We’ve only known each other all of what, three days?”  </p>
<p>He sighed. “It takes courage to speak from the soul when a falsehood of the body would suffice,” he remarked.</p>
<p>It was such a cryptic statement. Amy didn’t know what it meant, or how to respond to it. She tried to unravel the message as they made their way to the skycab stand, all the while aware of the way Thane was keeping in step with her.</p>
<p>It was early evening by the time they returned to the apartment. “Hey Jane, I’m back,” she called out as she entered, but there was no reply.  “Guess she’s still out,” Amy sighed. “Do you want some coffee or something?”</p>
<p>“I wouldn’t mind a cup,” he sat on the couch and stretched.</p>
<p>The instant coffee was simple to make, and pretty decent too. “Thanks for taking me around, Thane. I guess it’s my turn to keep my side of the bargain, right? Is there something you wanted to know?”</p>
<p>He asked her how she’d landed here, and she told him about what had happened before she found herself on Eden Prime. He questioned her about Saren, and Sovereign, and she answered to the best of her knowledge. He asked about the Reapers, and she told him what they were, the systemic galactic genocide that they instituted in a cyclical manner. </p>
<p>“And you believe Shepard will defeat them?” he questioned.</p>
<p>“I <em> know </em> she will,” Amy nodded. “It sounds impossible, I know - and if it weren’t for the Protheans, it would be.”</p>
<p>“I thought you said the Protheans were wiped out by the Reapers?”</p>
<p>“Yes, but towards the end of the war they had developed tools, weapons that could be used to defeat the Reapers. Unfortunately for them, it was too late, there were too few of them left. The plans were left behind - incomplete, I think, but they’re there. They just have to be completed, and the Crucible has to be built… once it is, it can be used to defeat the Reapers.”</p>
<p>He was fiddling with her omni-tool. “It won’t be an easy task.”</p>
<p>“It’s not going to be. What are you doing to my omni-tool?”</p>
<p>“This model is- it is not quite ancient, but it is close.”</p>
<p>“An ancient tool for someone like me, how appropriate.” At his unamused glance, she sighed, and said, “I know. Jane was nice enough to lend me her old one, I’m just using it to learn-”</p>
<p>“You’ll need a better one soon.”</p>
<p>“And I’ll get myself one when I think I’m ready. Which will take a while, even by my own estimation.”</p>
<p>He shook his head. “You want to disassemble this one to learn, fine. You want one to use? Get another one. This one has too many security loopholes. Look-” he showed her a section of code he’d pulled up. “You tried to encrypt your search for me, but I was able to use this command to trace it back to you. It’s a weaker cipher, with a stronger priority level. Anything you input gets overridden by it. The newer models don’t have this issue.”</p>
<p>“Oh,” she said. She sighed and sat down. “I feel so stupid.”</p>
<p>“You’re not. Your encryption was good, it was derailed by the use of a faulty device.”</p>
<p>“I wish I’d known earlier, I’d have had time to get a new one.” She looked up at him, eyes wide. “Not that I’m blaming you or anything! I mean, you didn’t know either-”</p>
<p>“Amy.” he double-blinked. It wasn’t as strange as she’d thought it would be. It was quite cool, actually, to see the way each set of eyelids operated independent of the other. “I understand.”</p>
<p>“Right.” She ran a hand through her hair, feeling completely foolish.</p>
<p>“I could stop by Kassa Fabrications tomorrow and pick one up for you before we leave, if you’d like,” he offered. “I’m familiar with the latest tech.”</p>
<p>“You’d do that for me? Why?”</p>
<p>“You have the desire to learn. It’s something I admire, and I’d like to help.”</p>
<p>“I’d appreciate that,” she said slowly, “but on one condition.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out her credit chit, handing it to him. “You use this, and you get something for yourself as well.”</p>
<p>“Amy, that is not nec-”</p>
<p>“Look, if I knew anything about, well, <em> anything </em>, I’d get stuff for you. But I don’t, so this is the next best thing. Just let me have the small pleasure of getting my friend something, will you?”</p>
<p>His gaze was- she couldn’t read him very well, but she thought she caught some amount of disbelief. He tilted his head to the side, just a degree, barely noticeable - she’d only caught it because she was paying such close attention.  “Very well,” he sighed, and took the chit from her. “You’re not worried I’ll run away with this? Or spend it all?”</p>
<p>“I’m absolutely terrified. See, I’m shaking in my shoes!” She grinned to show him she was teasing.</p>
<p>He shook his head. “You are too trusting for your own good.” He made his way to the door.</p>
<p>“Or maybe, just maybe, it’s <em> you </em> I trust,” she called out.</p>
<p>He looked at her over his shoulder. “You will get hurt if you’re not careful.”</p>
<p>“It’s very possible.” Her agreement caught his attention, and he turned towards her. “I’m not stupid enough to think that you’ll never hurt me. I mean, we’re two different people, who think differently, who come from different species… there are going to be times we’re going to clash. I know it. But I know you’d never <em> deliberately </em> break my trust, and I hope you know that I would never do that to you either.”</p>
<p>He looked as though he wanted to say something, but seemed to think the better of it. Amy wondered what was on his mind, but it looked like she wouldn’t find out. “Finish your packing, and get some rest,” he said instead. “Would you like me to accompany you to the docks tomorrow?”</p>
<p>“I think I’ll probably be going with Jane. If not, I’ll-” she realized she had no way to contact him. “I… have no way to reach you.”</p>
<p>“Here.” He reached for his omni-tool, and tapped something out. “You should have a contact address for me. It’s not a number, but any message you send I will get.”</p>
<p>“Don’t trust me with your number yet, huh?” she joked.</p>
<p>“I don’t trust your device. It does belong to a member of the Alliance, after all.”</p>
<p>“Hey, Shepard’s nice!”</p>
<p>“That may be the case, but I doubt her superiors would approve of her associating with someone like me, no matter how tenuous the connection.”</p>
<p>“...Point taken.”</p>
<p>“Good night, Amy. I will see you tomorrow.”</p>
<p>“G’night, Thane. Sleep well.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thank you to everyone who commented on the last chapter - I know I've been tardy with my replies. Life has been a series of rather unfortunate events and it's taken all my spoons to just get through the day. But! I'm hoping to be back with the regular updates. Here's hoping the muses cooperate :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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